Young Again
by Fang323
Summary: Arthur's anger explodes, and a spell gone wrong brings him back to the past...though not through time travel. Alfred has never been good with child care.
1. Chapter 1

Hey there, Fang here.

Yes! More angst! Except this time...it's more of a mental angst...no real torture this time, sorry. Hope you like it anyway!

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><p>Arthur bolted up from the couch in barely contained anger.<p>

"You still don't believe I can do magic, do you?"

"Iggy, that's so not what I meant at all!"

The Brit huffed, and crossed his arms about his chest, while his American visitor just sat farther back into his chair.

"You git, I can see through you perfectly! You think I'm insane! That I just need mental help! Well, you're absolutely wrong!"

Alfred was shaking his head.

"You got it all totally wrong, dude…"

"I'll have you know that my magic and my friends were my backbone when I was little!"

Alfred could have laughed, but the look on Arthur's face was so serious that he actually thought better of it.

"Dude, dude, dude, I get it, alright? Now will you stop yelling at me?"

Arthur only growled, and stalked out of the room. Alfred rubbed the back of his head and allowed himself a small grin while Arthur was gone. Yeah, he knew Arthur thought he could do magic and see weird creatures. But you know, no one else had actually seen him do any. It was cause for a little skepticism, no matter how you looked at it. Of course, telling Arthur this was probably not the smartest idea he had ever come up with, and now Arthur was in a rage that was almost impossible to come out of. Great job, Alfred, he told himself. Great job. So much for a peaceful visit.

Five minutes later, Arthur came in with a tattered old book and a stick in his hand. He was holding it from one side, as if it was…a wand? Really, Iggy…Alfred thought to himself.

"I'm going to show you how I do it, and then you'll never have any doubt about it again, you git!" He brandished the wand and flipped the large tome to a page somewhere in the middle.

"Artie, it isn't that I don't believe you, its just that you've never actually given us any reason to believe you! None of us have ever seen your friends or you doing any sort of magic! You can't blame us, dude."

"Well then, I'll just show you now!"

The writing on the page was in some weird dialect or language, with swirling symbols and lines covering the page like a well-planned graffiti. Alfred's eyebrow lifted.

"You really can read that? Looks like something from "Lord of the Rings", dude."

"Of course I can read this! The demons and angels of the realm next to this one taught it all to me!" Arthur's voice was only becoming bitterer. Alfred shrugged his shoulders, but his curiosity was piqued. If Arthur could really do this stuff (Which he still heavily doubted) then dude…that would be so cool. Arthur let out a few curses, and went to stand in the middle of the carpet. He looked around the room, his head jerking from side to side in search of something. His eyes landed on an old, withered plant in the corner of his parlour, and he walked towards it.

"Just watch, Alfred. This plant will be a seedling again once I'm done with it! I'll show you what I can do! I'll make you believe me!"

"Arthur, you don't have to, I-"

Arthur wasn't listening. His face was set with determination to regain his reputation, and he wasn't taking no for an answer. He pointed his wand at the dying plant, and shouted some sort of incantation at the object.

The room was instantly filled with a white light surrounding the plant. Arthur closed the book with his hand, keeping his other steadily trained on the object. Alfred was shielding his eyes the best he could, but nothing could keep out the almost blinding light.

Arthur's face changed to surprise as the light suddenly moved from the plant and began circling him like a blanket.

"What the bloody-"

"Arthur!" He began to walk towards his brother, but Arthur's voice cut through like a knife.

"Alfred, get back!"

Something was wrong, even Alfred could tell. Arthur had not planned for this. His hand holding the wand was starting to shake, and Arthur was looking around himself in utter confusion.

The light darkened ominously around the Brit, leaving him in a vortex of a black swirling cloud, and Alfred only had a quick glance of Arthur's shocked face before the wand shot something back at him. It hit Arthur straight through the chest, blasting him back through the open doorway with a cry of surprise and fear. The light faded just as quickly as it had appeared. Alfred shook his head and ran into the adjourning room, glancing at the plant on his way. It was unchanged, as old and dying as ever.

Alfred stood at the doorway and called out Arthur's name. Looking forward, he saw nothing but a pile of clothes…England's clothes. Alfred rushed to the fabric; Arthur was gone.

"Iggy? Iggy!" he cried, feeling the fabrics to see what the #!*% was going on. His frantic hands touched something warm and alive, and it jumped. Alfred exclaimed in surprise.

A small boy popped up from the clothing warily, his blonde hair going every which way. He looked up at Alfred with confusion and a hint of fear in his large emerald eyes. Alfred's mouth dropped open.

"A-Arthur?"

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><p>AUTHOR'S COMMENTS:<p>

Well...Silly Arthur's magic backfired...

I've always wanted to do a fic like this...Alfred apparently has no idea what to do with children, and Arthur...well...you'll find out. Hee Hee Hee...i feel so evil right now.

And Arthur's childhood was horrid...That's another reason why I wanted to do this fic...I mean honestly, the kid had no friends, his brothers tried to kill him constantly, France was always trying to invade him, no wonder he relied on Flying Mint Bunny and Uni and Captain Hook!

So yeah...there's my pitiful explanation for angsting Iggy again...(sheepish grin)

Hope you like it anyway, and review...maybe? Please? With tea? ^_^'

-Fang


	2. Chapter 2

Hey there, Fang here.

Right on schedule! Here's the next installment, enjoy at your leisure!

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><p>A small boy popped up from the clothing warily, his blonde hair going every which way. He looked up at Alfred with confusion and a hint of fear in his large emerald eyes. Alfred's mouth dropped open.<p>

"A-Arthur?"

The tiny boy's eye widened, and he bolted out of the pile of clothing on his short legs, wrapping the shirt around him as he went like a cape. Alfred cursed and rushed after him.

Arthur was #!*% fast, almost as fast as a retreating Italy, Alfred thought as he sped after the child.

"Iggy! Hey, Iggy! Arthur man, wait up!"

Arthur stopped for a second, looking around, and took a hesitant left into the closest room, as if he didn't know where he was going in his own house.

Alfred turned the corner, but the door was already shut. He reached for the doorknob to turn it.

"Don't come in!" came a young voice from directly behind the door, and Alfred stopped.

"Arthur? Is that…really you?" he asked tentatively.

"H-How do you know my human name?" the little voice retorted. "Where are my clothes? What is this bleeding place?" Underneath the strong questions Artie was asking, there was that hint of panic and fear underlying it all. Alfred was utterly confused, but he tried to keep his own voice steady for Iggy's sake.

"Arthur…you don't remember?"

"Who the #!*% are you?" the child's voice cracked on the last word. The boy was losing his control. Alfred stuttered. "O-Okay! I'll…go see if I can find your clothes, alright? Just stay here…I'll be right back."

Arthur didn't answer. Even so, Alfred tore up to his attic to find the cloak and long shirt Arthur had shown him days before. There they were, hanging on the hat rack next to the once fashionable top hat. Al grabbed them quickly and jumped down most of the stairs to get back to his older (well, not anymore) brother. If he was even still there…

He got to the door, and knocked on it quietly.

"Arthur?"

There was no reply.

"…Arthur…I found your clothes…They're a little mussed and old, but…"

"Put them by the door. Now." Arthur's child-like voice came through the door. Alfred, with no other real choice, did as he said, and stepped back a couple feet. The door opened a crack, and a tiny hand reached out and grabbed the pile swiftly. The door slipped closed a second after.

Alfred waited. And waited a bit more. Ten minutes went by without so much as a noise from Artie. Alfred finally decided to take matters into his own hands. He walked the few feet to the door, and knocked gently.

"Arthur?"

No answer.

Alfred, not being an especially patient man (this was actually patient for him right now…) finally just turned the knob and walked into Arthur's tearoom.

A small bundle of black was sitting in the corner of the room, trying to hide behind the easy chair. Alfred ran over to the corner, moving the chair away.

The bundle curled in even more on itself, hugging its knees to its chest even closer. It looked up from its position when Alfred's shadow swallowed it up.

It was Arthur alright, the same messed up hair, the green eyes, larger now that the rest of his body was so small, the same eyebrows, everything. The little boy looked up at Alfred with a stare of defiance that tried desperately to hide some other emotion welling inside of him.

"You really are him…" Alfred murmured in wonderment.

"Who are you?" Arthur once again asked. "You aren't one of my citizens! You're a country!"

"…Yeah…I am." Alfred said slowly, wondering how much he should reveal to Arthur.

"Why are you so huge? Not even the wine #!*% is a big as you!" His tiny British accent made Alfred stifle a laugh, startling the little Brit.

"What? It's not blasted funny! I'm the great kingdom of Britannia, and I've never seen you before!" Arthur bolted to the other side of the room, hiding underneath one of the chairs and hugging the leg of it. He stared at Alfred with his large eyes. Alfred instantly composed himself.

"No, no, dude, it's not that! Look, I'm Alfred, remember? The United States of America? Ring a bell?"

"The Uni-itud States? What the blasted country is that?"

"…You really don't remember…" Alfred took a step towards his brother. Arthur froze.

"NO! D-Don't come any closer!" Arthur's voice was panicked. Alfred immediately stopped.

"Okay, Okay! I'm not moving, alright? There's no reason to be that scared, little buddy, I'm not gonna hurt you."

Arthur still looked mistrustful. Alfred sighed.

"Look…it's true."

"If it is, where the bloody #!*% are you from?"

Alfred rubbed his head, the movement once again startling the little country.

"…You know the Atlantic Ocean, right?" Arthur gave a sharp little nod. "I'm…from across there."

Arthur's eyes widened, and he clutched the chair leg tighter.

"They have countries like you that big over there?"

Alfred waved his hands in a gesture of negativity.

"No, No, listen! I'm pretty big, yeah, but that doesn't mean I'm gonna hurt you!"

"No, No, You're lying! You have to be! No one as big as you can exist! Why are you here? Where the #!*% am I?"

Alfred backed up a few steps in confusion.

"Arthur, calm down! I already told you, I'm not here to hurt you! Arthur, listen to me!"

"NO! I know why you're here! They sent you! You're in league with them!"

"Arthur, I don't know what the #!*% you're talking about! Who is 'they'?"

"You LIE! I know you do! They sent you here to kill me! Well, I won't let you!"

"Arthur!" Alfred walked towards the tiny Brit, which was the absolute wrong thing to do. Arthur gave a small cry of panic and dashed out the door.

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><p>AUTHOR'S COMMENTS:<p>

...That's right.

I made Iggy grow younger in memory too.

OH, this is going to be such fun.

Anyway! ^_^

Iggy Demon Sis! Thanks for reading...this fic is going to be pretty long chapter wise, so hope you stay with me through it all!

And meow, hope the next day is soon enough for an update for you! I usually do a chapter a day...Keeping you guys happy...Hope you like!

LoveGaara06, I hope this story meets your expectations, since you've read so many like this! I have too...They're very entertaining to write...

Hey, Haley Tran! That's why I try to update as soon as possible...so you don't have to wait for this...lol! Hope you keep reading!

And SandyAngel, OH MY GOD YOU GAVE ME TEA! I heart you forever...And I love Mini-Arthur, he's so freaking cute..!

meme12345bunny! I continued! I have done as you commanded! Woohoo!

...Yeah...that was fun!

I love Mini-Arthur, as I said before...he's so small and tiny, and he tries to act mature because he was in a world where it was every country for itself...he didn't really have a childhood...it's adorable, and I can't wait to explore what he would be like if he let some childhood into his life...

This story is going to have two endings, one in which Iggy Does remember what happened, and one where he doesn't...I couldn't decide. So I'm doing both!

Anyway, please review...you guys are so awesome...And tea is still appreciated...(Mmm, I just had some Earl Grey...that stuff is good...)

-Fang


	3. Chapter 3

Hey there, Fang here.

Alright! Next chapter! And it's longer than the others...Yay!

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><p>"Arthur!" Alfred walked towards the tiny Brit, which was the absolute wrong thing to do. Arthur gave a small cry of panic and dashed out the door.<p>

Alfred cursed and followed him, once again marveling at how fast the Brit was. Even he was having a bit of trouble catching up, and he was America…

Thankfully, Arthur didn't seem to know the house, and was a little hesitant in his decision process, so Alfred could easily follow him. Arthur led him up three flights of stairs, and seeing one more stairwell up to the attic, started up as fast as his little legs could carry him. Alfred rounded the corner to see the attic door slam shut, and swore. He tried the door, but Arthur had somehow propped something against it. Alfred could have easily broken the door down…but considering how hyped-up Arthur's nerves were now, that would not be the best idea. He didn't want to appear to be exactly as Arthur was picturing.

"Arthur?"

No sound came. Alfred sighed, and settled himself by the attic to wait for Arthur to decide to come out. In the meantime, Alfred took out his cell phone to call his other older brother. Dialing the number, he sat back against the wall and listened to the rings.

"Hello, eh?"

"Mattie! What up, dude?"

"Oh…you know, nothing really important-"

"Good, cause I need you over at Iggy's place like…now."

"What? Something wrong?"

"…Kinda? Look, just get your butt over here and I'll explain later, dude. Iggy's probably listening to my call, and that's probably not for the best. As fast as you can, kay?"

"…I'm really confused, eh? But…alright…"

"Mattie, you're the best."

Alfred shut his phone shut and shoved it back in his pocket. Something about himself was scaring Arthur, who knows what the #!*% that is, but if he couldn't calm little Arthur down enough to at least talk some sort of sense into him, then the only thing he could do was call upon the gentlest person he knew. Go Canada!

In the meantime, he could hear some rustling in the attic. Arthur must be going through his old stuff (Or new stuff, considering his memory wasn't exactly modern right now). Even though Alfred knew Arthur had some nasty memories up there, there couldn't be anything there that Arthur would recognize.

Half an hour past. Alfred was pretty close to hitting his head on the wall for entertainment.

"You know, you're smaller than I imagined, Artie." Alfred said out loud to the little boy in the attic. He didn't expect any response, nor did he receive any.

"But #!*% , you've still got that stubborn streak…Heh, I guess those things never change."

He toyed with his phone, flipping it open and shut.

"Artie, what's got you so worked up? Come on, man…you're just a kid. Nothing could have really happened to make you so #!*% neurotic. I mean, I know you've had issues with Scotland and the rest of them, but honestly, you're just a kid-"

A crash of breaking china sounded from inside. Alfred scrambled to his feet and pounded on the door again.

"Arthur? Arthur!"

"Leave me alone! You know nothing! You hear me? Nothing! F*ck…F*CK!" He sounded like he was cursing in pain.

"Artie! You okay?"

"I'm fine! Leave me the f*ck alone!" Arthur taught his brother a few new words that would make even the most profound curser's ears burn before falling silent again. Alfred leaned against the door. #!*% , Mattie was taking forever…

"Arthur…"

"Just…go away…" Arthur's voice was much quieter.

Alfred slumped in front of the door again. Papers were rustling in the next room, and he vaguely wondered what Arthur had found this time.

The doorbell rang and Alfred leapt up and ran downstairs to answer the door. His own image was on the other side, smiling gently. His giant polar bear was hugged tightly in his arms.

"Hey, brother, eh?"

"Mattie! You so couldn't have come at a better time!"

"Where's Arthur? From your tone…you didn't want him to know that I'm-"

"Yeah…about Iggy…He's not exactly himself at the moment…"

"….eh?"

Alfred grabbed his brother's arm and towed him upstairs to the attic door. Motioning him to be as quiet at possible, he knocked on the door.

"Arthur?"

No answer.

"…Artie…Look, I'm sorry for scaring you…"

Matthew glanced at his brother in silent confusion.

"…Iggy? I'm not going to hurt you…I would never hurt you…"

A muffled sob came from inside the attic, and Alfred's eyes widened.

"Artie? Artie…Artie, I'm coming in."

He turned the handle on the door and with more force than usual, jerked it open. He motioned for Matthew to follow him in.

Arthur had propped a giant box of memories against the door, which was quite impressive considering his size. Alfred glanced around the darkened room, looking for his brother's tiny form.

A shaking pile of black caught his attention in the corner of the room. Alfred made his way slowly over to it, shadowed five steps away by Matthew. He ended up nearly a step away from Artie, before the child's shivering stopped. Arthur was surrounded by piles of old pieces of parchment filled with writing.

Alfred reached out hesitantly, and touched Arthur's shoulder. Arthur spun around quickly, his eyes wide and red-rimmed. His tear-stained face wasn't one of anger or fear for once…it was filled with hurt beyond words. He looked at Alfred as if begging for some sort of comfort…but scrubbed at his eyes and stood up quickly. Alfred noticed he was clutching his arm tightly to his side.

"I-I thought I told you to stay out…"

"Yeah, but-"

"I can take care of myself! What part of that do you not bloody understand?'"

Arthur wasn't staring at Alfred's face, but at the hand that he still held on his small shoulder. Alfred simply began to rub his shoulder and back gently in small circles. The boy looked up at Alfred's face, as if he were about to cry again, and Alfred smiled.

That just made the little nation's lip quiver, and he tore away from Alfred's touch and stumbled away straight into Matthew. He looked up at the new nation and froze. Matthew was looking at him in shock and wonder, but pulled himself together quicker than Alfred had.

"Arthur…"

Artie looked from one nation to the other, stock still in his half-fright.

"N-No…y-you're just trying to fool me…you have to-you have to be working for them. Scotland and the others sent you…there's no other explanation…"

Arthur was slowly backing out of the room as he stuttered, and then turned and ran once again from their sight.

Matthew made to follow, but Alfred called out to him to stop.

"Alfred! He could get away, we can't let that happen!"

"I locked all the doors…it's not like he could reach the handles anyway. He's going to have to stay in the house, where we can keep an eye on him."

"Al…how did this happen?"

Alfred kneeled, looking at all the scribbled parchments littering the floor.

"Iggy wanted to prove to me he could do magic, and…well…it backfired…"

"…you were goading him again, eh?"

"I always do! I wasn't expecting him to get so worked up about it this time!"

Alfred picked up a few of the old-as-dirt papers.

"…Is he going to be able to get back to normal?"

Alfred looked back at his brother, concerned.

"I really have no f-ing clue, dude. Maybe it'll wear off? Hopefully?"

"None of us can do magic…"

"That's why that's pretty much all we can hope for." Alfred turned back to the papers. Matthew joined him on the floor.

The American's eyes jolted wide and he grasped the paper tighter.

"Matthew…look at this."

The Canadian glanced over Alfred's shoulder.

"Ah, those were the papers Arthur was looking at, right?"

"They're letters, Mattie. All addressed to him."

"Who would be writing to him?"

"…They're from his brothers…"

"Scotland and the others?"

Alfred rubbed his eyes and sat back, trying to keep himself from ripping the parchment to pieces.

"What the #!*% is this…"

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><p>AUTHOR'S COMMENTS:<p>

Alright! Let's get to it!

Hey, HunterWindstalker! Oh my God, you're from England? I love you! That's so cool! I love Iggy...he's the best character ever...he never had a childhood...I'm so f-ing happy you like my work, keep reading, please! You are awesome!

And igg demon sis, hooooooly crap...100 chapters? That's quite an attention span you have...I don't even think I could do that...I'm adding Scotland into the fic, but he won't actually be there...he'll just be talked about a lot! This is mostly a Iggy and Al fic, so that's who I'm concentrating on. (Oh, who am I kidding, that's all I concentrate on...)

Hey, Haley Tran! Eeeep! No, not the bad tea! lol...yeah, for Alfred, the positions are reversed...that's gotta be tough to figure out. And even though he had control of the Philippines, as you said, I figured they got their independence so quickly afterwards that Al wouldn't have really gotten a chance at parenthood...but I never thought of that! Nice!

What up, darkangels1112! America is always having trouble with everything, he wouldn't be great at being a guardian, since he's still pretty much a kid himself...I'm really glad you liked my angst stuff, I wrote a lot...I feel bad torturing Iggy so much...But keep reading, I'll keep writing!

LoveGaara06! So glad you're enjoying the fic, It's really fun to write...It'll get kinda angsty like...now...(Damn, that's just what I needed to write, more angst...) So hope that works for you!

Ah, Faith Altoire, great to hear from you again! And really? That's pretty awesome...I've gone on your deviantArt and I think you are an amazing artist, you draw better than I could ever hope to...hope you find the picture! And I LOVE Earl Grey...it's the best. I love pretty much any tea except chai tea, which is just...way too sweet for me. And about the alternate endings, I've already written both of them, and I couldn't decide which one I liked best, so...I shall put both! Nope, you aren't the only one who does that! ^_^

meme12345bunny, you are so straight and to the point. I love it. I continued!

Hey, yoong! I love your idea about France, that would be rather cute! But considering the fact that Arthur was being attacked by France a lot at this point, I'm just going to mention the wine-lover in conversations (Plus also, I'm not good at writing for him yet, I always make him sound waaaaaay too gay...) But I'll get some France in there! Arthur's afraid of a lot of things...he's just never good at showing emotions...^_^ Keep reading!

...

Wow...that was a lot...I'M SO F-ING HAPPY!

Anyway...the fic! Yeah!

Yes, I am going to talk about Artie's b*stard brothers...they do play a part...with this fic, I'm trying to have Alfred explore what it was like for Arthur to be a child in those days and having to grow up way faster than Alfred did. and then it will segway into something with Alfred's childhood, I don't know...I have it all done, I just don't believe in posting the whole thing in one day! I gotta keep you guys in some suspense, right? That's right. I'm just that evil. ^_^

Anywho...I'm really loving the reviews for this fic...you guys are so entertaining to talk to...Please keep reviewing? And Artie will get tea...

-Fang


	4. Chapter 4

Hey there, Fang here.

Well, here we go again...Next chapter!

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><p>Alfred rubbed his eyes and sat back, trying to keep himself from ripping the parchment to pieces.<p>

"What the f*ck is this…"

"Hand me one, eh?"

Alfred obliged. Matthew scanned over the hand-written paper, and his eyes took on the same angered, shocked quality that Alfred's had.

"Alfred…"

"How the f*ck could they say those things to him?"

Matthew steadied his angered voice and began to read.

-Dear b*astard baby brother,

Hand over your d*mn borders, you a*shole! I don't know why you bother resisting me, when I'm obviously so much stronger than you!

What do you think you can accomplish anyway, you f*cking little sh*t? You can barely defend yourself from me anyway! It's only a matter of time, and I will destroy you!

You're useless. You have no real power, and you know it!

Believe me, when this is over, I will wipe you from any map you could get your hands on. I will personally rip you limb from f*cking limb when I've got you under my control, and your entrails will be spread from coast to f*cking coast of this whole Isle!

And when I'm done with that, I'll make sure that your eyeless head will be shoved onto a pole and hung-

"Stop. Just stop, Mattie."

Matthew did as he was told without any sort of a fight. He bent down and rummaged around the other papers scattered around the floor.

"The rest of these are similar in context…"

Alfred's fist slammed down onto the floor, going right through and into the ceiling of the floor below them.

"That b*stard! Arthur was just a kid! A f*cking kid!" he yelled at the wall.

Matthew remained a bit more calm.

"Maybe…it was just how it was back then…"

"They were his brothers! His own brothers! And they treated him like nothing…"

"…Maybe that's why…"

But Alfred had already stood up and was walking to the attic door with a steady, frightening gait, cutting Matthew off.

"Look, we need to go find Iggy now and talk to him about these…letters!" Alfred was already jumping down the stairs three at a time, Matthew not far behind. The American paused once he reached the floor, unsure of where to look first.

"I'll take the two down floors, you take the rest of those, Mattie." He called after his brother as he headed down to the second floor to begin the search.

It was like searching for a needle in a haystack. Arthur's house was quite large, and Arthur was so small that he could hide almost anywhere. It took Alfred more than forty-five minutes to search the second floor thoroughly. Alfred glanced outside the sun was on the horizon…had it really been that long? He could see dark clouds gathering in the not-so-far distance as well…hopefully it wouldn't be a thunderstorm. He looked out the window at the setting sun, trying to sort out his thoughts.

That's why Artie was so frightened of others, he realized. Scotland's words…they were absolutely despicable. No one deserved to be told such things. No wonder Arthur became as he was…he wasn't given much of a choice. He didn't have a chance for childhood…he grew up too fast. And he was just a kid, reading those words, Alfred grimaced. He was younger than Alfred had been when he was found…

"Al?"

Alfred turned around to find Mattie coming into the room, shaking his head. "You didn't find him?" Alfred gave him a thumbs down. Matthew sighed.

"Then we've narrowed it down…one left."

Al was already down the stairs, single-minded in his quest, never allowing for any other sort of distraction. He headed off to the right once down, and Matthew, once he reached the last floor, went the other way, checking room by room, meticulous and exactly. He hadn't gotten three rooms in before he heard Alfred call out in surprise.

"Al?" Matthew rushed to the tearoom where he had hear Alfred's voice. Running in, he noticed the much chillier breeze and flickers of drops of the coming rain sprinkling in on his face from the open window. Alfred was staring at the exit from the house, and the stack of books from Arthur's lower shelves leading up to the sill. He suddenly turned and marched to the coat rack, grabbing his bomber jacket and Arthur's long coat before heading toward the front door. Matthew quickly shut Arthur's means of escape and hurried to catch up to his brother.

"Al! Al, wait, where-"

"I gotta go find him, Mattie."

"A storm's coming-"

Alfred whipped around and grabbed his brother's shoulders, staring Mattie right in the face. The Canadian could read the fear and panic distinctly in his eyes, and the guilt right behind those dominant emotions. He closed his mouth, and Alfred took his hands away.

"I know! But that's why I have to go! I have to hurry!" Al was slipping on his jacket.

"…the storm is only going to hurt your chances of finding him…" Matthew whispered, trying to give Alfred reason to think logically. He knew Alfred's extreme fear of thunderstorms, carried on from his childhood. As far as he had heard though, no lightning or thunder was present yet.

"That's fine by me! I'll beat the #!*% storm! I'm not going to leave Iggy out there alone."

He opened the door, shading his face against the wild wind that blew in with a fury.

"Arthur wouldn't have let me stay out there when I was little." With that, he rushed out into the storm.

Alfred lost track of time after fifteen minutes in the wind and rain.

"ARTHUR!" his voice was carried away in the wind. Because he was America and impervious to weather, he had no trouble moving in the storm, which was blowing full blast now. The rain pelted down on the American like rocks, but Alfred didn't blink. Trying to suppress his ever growing panic, Alfred barely paid any attention to the cumbersome weather around him, only concentrating on finding Artie.

The boy couldn't have gotten far, he told himself. Arthur, though a lover of rain and fog, was not dressed for high winds and this sleet. He would have had to stop somewhere for shelter…but where, exactly?

Alfred opened his eyes against the howling winds and couldn't see anything that resembled a small child. Moving on, he took a right, heading on towards what seemed to be a small grove of trees, not a mile from Arthur's house. Alfred took off running against the restricting wind for it. After thirty minutes of searching so far in a radius around Artie's house, Alfred was getting desperate. Arthur already didn't trust him at all, though considering at this stage in his life how he couldn't trust anyone, that wasn't surprising anymore.

He was at the edge of the trees now, the wind only slightly deterred from the shelter. It still blew like a lion, but at least Alfred could breathe when facing into it. He yelled again.

"Artie! Arthur!"

No response. Alfred's heart was pounding harder, as hard as the rain still shooting down on his drenched head. In this darkness, Alfred wished for a flashlight, but in his haste to find his brother, everything else had slipped his mind.

A rustle and a tiny, barely perceptible whimper answered his calls at last, and he ran to the noise, barely hoping for what he wanted to see.

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><p>AUTHOR'S COMMENTS:<p>

Alright!

hey again, iggy demon sis! I think it's pretty awesome myself...but that just makes me sound really prideful, and thats not good..._ but I'm glad you think so!

And HunterWindstalker, yes, your status as English makes you automatically awesome. I actually have some questions about the Battle of Britain and the Blitz in general...I'll message you about it, there are some things I am rather confused about...but Thanks for reading again!

EliteKessu, Poor Artie is right! I love torturing him! Keep reading, I'll love you for it!

OMG, meme12345bunny, you have hit my Anglophile button again! You really are? I'll continue just for that! #!*% yeah!

LOl, Haley Tran...I love that song! I want to learn it so badly...and it's so addicting! Haha, isn't it awesome that Alfred's the youngest of that family...i think it's hilarious. Plot building is hard...you want to let everything about it out in one chapter, but you can't do that! I learned that lesson the hard way...you should see some of my early fics...so bad, I won't even post them...^_^

Ah, Faith Altoire, you really should post it so I can see it...I bet it looks awesome! If you drew for this fic too...you are amazing...just amazing. Don't try chai tea, it's disgusting, unless you like really sweet milky substances... Everyone wants to hug Iggy!

And darkangels1112, I'm so happy you've been reviewing my other fics!...I'm fine with yaoi if it's tastefully inserted into a fic, but yaoi incest? That's the reason why I won't write Arthur/Alfred fics...I feel it's taking brotherly love a bit too far. But hey, whatever suits! Hope you enjoy the rest of the fic!

Hey, SandyAngel, yep! Makes me happy...^_^ I love these two so much...They're so adorable...and hey! You found out what it said! Woot!

And to mackie19, Alfred's a big and scary and rather awkward when it comes to kids country...Artie is so adorable when he's trying not to show that he's scared...Glad to hear from yoU!

...Reviews...they make me soo happy on the inside...thank you so much...!

Sorry about the letter if it wasn't good...I didn't really look up hate mail too much in my research, and it probably shows. Little Iggy...how I love to torture you as well...oh well.

Hope you guys liked so far...should be 2 or 3 more chapters before I'm done with this one and I can move onto my next two!

I love reviews...you guys have been amazing..its pretty much the only reason I take time everyday to update...keep it UP, please!

-Fang


	5. Chapter 5

Hey there, Fang here.

Don't expect a new chapter this weekend...I have a con to go to here in good ol' Colorado! You only need one guess to know who I'm cosplaying as...

Haha! But don't worry, I'll post sooner or later. Enjoy!

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><p>He was at the edge of the trees now, the wind only slightly deterred from the shelter. It still blew like a lion, but at least Alfred could breathe when facing into it. He yelled again.<p>

"Artie! Arthur!"

No response. Alfred's heart was pounding harder, as hard as the rain still shooting down on his drenched head. In this darkness, Alfred wished for a flashlight, but in his haste to find his brother, everything else had slipped his mind.

A rustle and a tiny, barely perceptible whimper answered his calls at last, and he ran to the noise, barely hoping for what he wanted to see.

"Oh thank God…Artie…"

Indeed it was. Arthur was curled up in his dripping cloak, shivering violently from the biting wind. Even so, though he looked worse than miserable, he shrugged away from Alfred, looking up with him with those scared eyes. His hair was plastered to his face and in his eyes, turned a muddy brown from the dirt he was lying in. Alfred, finally starting to realize how to deal with this isolated, rather shy nation, stayed where he was. He crouched down, hands up, not bothering to move the hair blowing in his face in a gesture of peace.

"Arthur…I'm never going to hurt you."

Arthur didn't move, but his gaze wasn't so accusing anymore. There was still more than a bit of wariness, but if there was, Arthur didn't voice it. He looked too cold for any sort of verbal sparring. Alfred hoped that by not standing up, he wouldn't seem so threatening.

"…I saw the letters."

Arthur stiffened visibly despite the cold.

"No, no! Arthur, Artie, I'm not like that…I could never do such things. Arthur, you have to believe me…" Alfred stuttered for words, and eventually just decided to drop his hands to his side, letting the wind and rain beat down on his back. He looked at his brother, and smiled.

Arthur's mouth was set, though his eyes were beginning to water, whether from the wind blowing into them or something else, Alfred couldn't tell. All he cared about was getting himself and Arthur out of this weather, and since the boy in question wasn't running away, he considered that progress in the positive direction.

"Artie…" he tried again, "…look, even if you don't trust me…you gotta come home." Al held out his arms, still smiling despite the water dripping down his face. In the back of his mind, he wondered why he could only say these things to Arthur as a child, instead of who Arthur was now.

"I really do care about you, Artie."

An indescribable emotion spread across Arthur's drenched face, and he bit his quavering lip. He glanced up at Alfred's kind, smiling face and outstretched arms, and suddenly he didn't know whether the drops traveling down his face were rain or his own. Alfred's heart leaped when Arthur took a tiny step forward and touched his forearm hesitantly. Slowly, so Artie could se his every movement, Alfred brought his other arm around the boy, a question in his eyes, but Arthur finally lost the mature, adult front he had held up until now and rushed into Alfred's chest, clutching the wet bomber jacket tightly and hiding his face.

Alfred gave a sigh of relief, and wrapped his arms around his 'little' brother tightly for the first time since this whole ordeal had started. He took the long coat he had grabbed from Arthur's house and bundled the child into it. Arthur huddled closer to Alfred, a welcome change from the defiant little attitude he had been faced with up until now. He stood up, Arthur gathered in his arms, and ran back out into the full of the storm, shielding Arthur from it as best he could.

The house wasn't too far away, and Alfred ran quickly through the sleeting rain, once again praying that thunder and lightning wouldn't start erupting across the sky before they reached shelter. He could feel little Artie trembling in his arms, but his head never popped up from underneath the coat the whole run. Even with the extra warmth, Arthur's tiny body couldn't retain much heat for long, and he had already been out in the cold for quite a while, not to mention most likely exhausted from his physical and emotional exploits today. Alfred was feeling the cold too, but he continued to give as much heat as he could to the little one grabbing his jacket faintly.

"Mattie! Mattie!" he called out as they finally reached the house. Arthur barely stirred in his arms as Alfred's voice boomed against the brick of the walls. Alfred rubbed him briskly with his hand as he quickly made his way to the front door, and to the warmth that lay beyond it.

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><p>AUTHOR'S COMMENTS:<p>

_ There are so many...I am lost in a blissful happiness...

EliteKessu! I have continued, as you command! Hahaha! mmmm...two more, three more chapters to go? Maybe more? This is a long fic...

Hey, iNatix! Lol laziness...totally understand you there. I am completely with you on Iggy and Al being the best characters! There is no question there! And you really should see the episode, it's just a really short section, but Arthur's like getting jabbed with a bird and getting sent hate mail and its bad...but still!

What up, Ewan22! Poor Iggy indeed...he just wants love...And that epilogue idea you had is really good! I should do that...that has some great angst potential! Thanks for the idea!

Ah, Haley Tran, great to hear from you again! Hehe, Alfred and Mattie'll help Artie...no worries about that. I really don't like his brothers...they're still kinda jerks to him. I'm in senior year...senioritis hit me like a bus, so instead of paying attention in class, i write fic...lol! Glad you're liking the story so far!

Hey, Chandinee Richards! Finally, Iggy's allowing some help! It's about time...but more brotherly fluff on the way! Keep reading for more!

meme12345bunny, your name is so easy to type(random, i know)! And make sure you aim for his head! Haha, Awesome! I shall continue!

And Sandyangel, yes. By all means, you may kill Scotland. ^_^ Yep!

Ah, Faith Altoire...that's horrible...sorry if I brought up bad memories. EH, we all try to kill Iggy, but he knows it's all out of love, right? Take your time with the pics, I'm just happy you want to do them!

Hey, HunterWindstalker (Your name is so cool), I'll PM you soon after my con. It's a rather long question, so I'll wait till I'm not typing a mile a minute. Glad you are enjoying the story!

LoveGaara06! I love brotherly love...it's all I want to write about...I don't really want to write about the others, but I'll make an exception for Mattie... I'm amazing? Thanks for the complement!

darkangels1112, I guess you're right about the loophole. But they do reconcile later on...eh, whatever works! STupid older brothers...Iggy deserved better...hope you like the rest of the fic!

And iggy demon sis, you're right on that one...but I still am not going to post it...but enjoy!

OMG THAT WAS A LOT I LOVE YOU ALL!

NOw i have to go really quick, see ya all later, and REVIEW I LOVE THEM!

-Fang


	6. Chapter 6

Hey there, Fang here.

I'm back! Here you go, this one's rather long-ish...And I'll post again tomorrow!

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><p>"Mattie! Mattie!" he called out as they finally reached the house. Arthur barely stirred in his arms as Alfred's voice boomed against the brick of the walls. Alfred rubbed him briskly with his hand as he quickly made his way to the front door, and to the warmth that lay beyond it.<p>

Matthew was waiting by the door, and opened it upon immediately upon the soaked countries and ushered them in quickly.

"Did you find him? Is he-"

He glanced at the still little bundle in Alfred's arms, and he quickly shut the door to get the house warm again. He had built a fire in Arthur's rather large fireplace, and with the wind and rain no longer entering the house, the cold was quickly beginning to dissipate.

Matthew ran to get some blankets, and Alfred turned his attention to Artie.

The America quickly removed the drenched coat form Arthur and tore off the little cloak as well, leaving him in his somewhat dry night-shirt outfit. Arthur was deathly still, his lips tinged with blue and eyes closed, the only indication of movement was the slight rise and fall of his chest.

As Alfred sat down next to the fire, Matthew threw him a pile of blankets which Alfred took gratefully. He shrugged off his own jacket and shook his head, sending drops of water flying everywhere. Grabbing one of the blankets, he wrapped it tightly around Arthur and began rubbing his tiny arms and back, trying to get the blood flowing through the boy's body. Arthur's fingers were still clutched to Alfred's shirt, so he gently pried them off and began to massage the frozen extremities. Matthew came back into the room with more wood for the declining fire and a towel. After tossing the fuel into the blaze, he brought the towel to his two brothers and sat down next to them. Arthur had finally begun shivering thought his eyes remained closed, but Alfred's heart leapt anyway. Arthur was alright.

The little boy moaned, and huddled closer to Alfred's warmth, the absence of cold finally waking him up. Alfred shushed him gently, then took the towel from his brother and began to dry Artie's still dripping hair. Matthew got up from the fire to Alfred's raised eyebrow, but motioned that he would be right back and disappeared into the kitchen.

Alfred took the towel off of Arthur's head and tried to smooth his hair back, but it sprung up just as messy as before. He felt Arthur flinch under his touch, and pulled away.

"You want me to stop?" he asked gently. Arthur, still hiding his face, paused, and then shook his head no. Alfred continued petting Arthur's hair, and the boy finally relaxed in his lap, only a shiver of remnant cold going through his body every once in a while.

"Don't scare me by running off like that again, Artie…"

Arthur squirmed, and glanced at Alfred quickly before averting his eyes.

"Didn't think you would care…"

"Well, I did."

"No one else would!"

Arthur twisted away from Alfred's hand, jerking his arm in an odd way, and Alfred almost didn't notice the wince of pain on Arthur's face, the way that Arthur hid it so well. Alfred, with a jolt, remembered Arthur's wound he received in the attic. He quickly grabbed the arm Arthur was holding away from him and finally noticed the growing red stain appearing on the sleeve. Arthur tried to pull away, bur Alfred held him steady. When the boy finally decided it wasn't worth it anymore to struggle, Alfred pulled up the sleeve to find a good sized gash upon Artie's upper arm. It was still oozing blood, but was starting to form a nasty scab.

"That's gotta hurt…" Alfred mumbled to himself, and lifting Arthur of his lap and onto the sofa, he stood up to get a first aid kit. He barely got a foot before he felt a pulling on his shirt, holding him in place. He turned around to find little Artie with his hair in his face and the blanket falling from his shoulder, with one hand grasping his shirt. Alfred sighed, and bent down to the small, needy child and looked into his nervous, bright green eyes.

"I'll be back, alright? I gotta take care of your arm."

Arthur simply shook his head. "No."

"…Look…you heard me out there. I'll be right back…and Mattie's just in the other room."

The boy looked hesitant, but eventually let slip Alfred's shirt. Alfred smiled at him once more, and left the room.

Arthur suddenly felt so small inside this giant room, swallowed up in the giant blanket with the huge fire roaring in the cavernous fireplace. The two countries that were bigger even than the wine-loving #!*% were nice enough…but then again, big countries always had a hidden agenda. They could be playing, toying with him. He couldn't tolerate that.

But the talkative one…Alfred…he seemed so…caring…like he honestly wanted to help…

Arthur was so confused. A strange house with strange countries from an unknown world…he would almost rather face France than this. Almost.

But, he remembered, Alfred said he had read the letters. And he didn't sound like someone who was in coalition with _them_. Maybe…he just wanted to protect him? Arthur shook his head, and wrapped the blanket around himself once more.

Matthew came into the room, three mugs of liquid in his hands, and he quietly set them down on the coffee table. He looked up at Arthur, who had curled up into himself again, staring at him. Matthew, making no sudden movements, picked up one of the mugs and offered it to him. Arthur took it with both hands, and looked blankly at it.

"It's tea…I thought you may like it."

Arthur sniffed with caution, then lifted the heavy cup off his lap and sipped. His eyes widened, and he looked at the tea in wonder.

"What did you call this?"

"It's…tea, Artie…" Matthew answered, a little confused. Arthur took a deeper drink, savoring the taste.

"Tea…I've never had anything like this…"

An Artie without tea? No wonder he seemed so upset and distant.

Matthew scootched over on the couch next to Arthur. He sipped his own cup of decaf coffee with maple syrup. Arthur was engrossed in his tea to care where the larger nation was, so when he finally noticed the blanket being pulled up around his shoulders, he didn't flinch away, to Matthew's surprise.

Matthew sighed. He was probably invisible to the boy anyway. Or Arthur saw him as being Alfred again, and wasn't threatened. Matthew wasn't surprised, but it still would have been nice to-

"You're different than he is."

Mattie almost dropped his maple coffee. He glanced at Arthur, who was till curled upon himself, cradling his tea. He wasn't looking at Matthew, but was focusing his emerald gaze on the liquid.

"You…see me?"

Arthur scowled.

"Why wouldn't I?"

Canada scratched his head. Despite the fact that he was surprised little Arthur could distinguish Alfred and him apart, he was more curious of how Arthur was voluntarily talking to him. He laughed nervously.

"Well, you would be one of the first…besides Alfred, of course…"

"…I see things no one else can too…Like Unicorn over there."

Matthew glanced at where Arthur pointed, but didn't see anything. He composed his confusion quickly so Arthur wouldn't see, but the little one was too quick.

"Humph…doesn't matter. No one sees things like I do."

Apparently done talking, he went back to his tea, a tiny flinch crossing his face every now and then. Matthew simply smiled at the frowning little child, and followed his example.

* * *

><p>AUTHOR'S COMMENTS:<p>

Man, this fic is getting long...Chapter 6? Wow...

Anyway!

Hey, Ewan22! Well, Artie had to change his opinion sometime in the story...^^ and now he's ok with them...Arthur is finally allowing the love in!

And to meme12345bunny, Haha! I'll be posting a bit more often now that the con is over, so don't worry!

Hey, gothgirl179! Sorry I didn't update soon...but Arthur finally did trust them both! More fluffy goodness is on the way, so I hope you continue to read!

Sandyangel, you can go after Scotland with a meat cleaver! Bwa ha aha ha aha aha aha !

Haha LoveGaara06...you've said it...um...6 times? Maybe more? Haha! Well, I'm glad you have such faith in this story, I'm honestly surprised at how long I've made it...it wasn't think long in my head...O.o But Keep reading, Hope it keeps getting better!

mackie19! Oh, poor Arthur...he had a sadder childhood (if you could call it a childhood) than even Italy! You're welcome, I hope my writing stays up to your expectations, and yes, I did have a great time at the con! It was amazing!

Ah, Haley Tran...I did update! haha, It really does! Now in any history class, I can't help thinking about the countries as people, and heck, it makes for awesome times...

Hey, darkangels1112. Yeah, you're right on that one, I've talked with some friends who are so for this couple. Well, if I had to choose a favorite couple, it would be these two...though I still like them more brotherly...

And last but not least, Faith Altoire! Haha, I already responded to your giant paragraph with one of my own..I love Jack! I can't believe how much i've used him in my fics as well...he will show up in this one, next chapter though. ^_^

Yes. OMG the con was so much fun...You wouldn't believe how many Hetalians were there. And there were 7 Russias. Since when is communism so popular? O_O

..I don't remember what else I wanted to say...dang it...ummm...

...

hmmm...

...Yes. I dressed up as Iggy...and it was awesome...you can actually find a video of my group on youtube, as I was surprised to see...

But anyway! I'm running out of time, so I'll just quick say my usual piece.

Review and you shalt have tea and crumpets for the rest of your days (as well as a chibi England, which is so much better...) See you all later! I will post tomorrow!

-Fang


	7. Chapter 7

Hey there, Fang here.

Hey! Publishing again...I'm on a roll! (or a biscuit...whichever you prefer...)

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><p>"Humph…doesn't matter. No one sees things like I do."<p>

Apparently done talking, he went back to his tea, a tiny flinch crossing his face every now and then. Matthew simply smiled at the frowning little child, and followed his example.

That's how Alfred found the two of them a minute later, quietly sipping their respective drinks. He held the first aid kit in his hand, and walked to the boy, who was staring to nod over his mug. Alfred almost didn't want to move him, but Matthew was already taking the cup out of Arthur's hands.

As Alfred knelt in front of him, Arthur jolted up with a start only to find himself surrounded by the two larger nations once more. He glanced at them both, and then felt a hand running though his damp hair again and relaxed. Alfred took the blanket off Arthur's shoulders and rolled up his sleeve again to deal with the wound.

"Jeez, Artie, how'd you do this?"

"…A piece of china broke…when I found the letters."

"Alfred shook his head and began to clean the wound.

"You're still as scatterbrained as ever, huh?"

Arthur frowned and cursed quite lengthily.

A few minutes past, with Arthur watching Alfred carefully, throwing a quick look at Matthew every once in a while. The silence was only broken by the crack of the first staring to die in the fireplace. Alfred was just finish the bandaging of the scrape when Arthur's voice spoke up, tinged with sleep.

"Why are you doing this?"

Alfred stared at Arthur's drooping eyes in confusion.

"What?"

"I mean…well…" Artie stammered.

"There's no reason why, Iggy…"Alfred rolled his sleeve down and touched Arthur's shoulder lightly.

"There's always a reason…What do you want from me? Land, people, or money? I don't understand…"

Alfred lifted the boy's chin up to look him directly in the eyes.

"Alright, you want a reason? Here. You are someone who, despite what you think, I care about. That's all there is to it. I care about you, and I don't want you to be alone ever again."

Arthur gazed into his crystalline blue eyes, and gave a tiny nod before resting his head in Alfred's hand. Matthew gave a smile of agreement, but stayed quiet.

Arthur scrubbed at his eyes and tried to cover his yawn unsuccessfully, and Alfred laughed, bemused.

Carefully, he lifted Arthur into his arms, cradling him against his chest. Arthur didn't struggle; he may have been a sarcastic, smack-talking country, but he was still a child. He was exhausted, and he was tired of this whole business of these new countries. Also…this feeling of being held…of being cared for, of being loved…it was brand-new to him. So with just a slight pause, he laid his head on Alfred's shoulder and closed his eyes.

Alfred was just as happy that Arthur had stopped fighting him, and with Matthew in tow, he brought the boy upstairs and into Alfred's room. Turning on the light, he set sleepy little Artie on the giant bed, covering him up with the heavy blankets. Thinking Artie was already asleep; he shut off the light and shut the door to the room.

Matthew was leaning against the hallway wall, looking seriously at Alfred. Alfred's face lost its smile; he knew what Mattie wanted to talk about.

They walked together as Alfred made his way to Artie's room.

"…now that he trusts us…"

"I got it, Mattie, we need to figure out how to get him back to normal, okay?"

"We can't just leave him like that!"

They had reached the room, and Alfred made a beeline for Arthur's closet and began digging through it.

"I got that too! But Mattie, right now, can you even think of anything to do?"

Matthew fell silent. Alfred poked his head out.

"He got himself into this by his…magic. Maybe there's some way we can convince him to reverse it?"

"Sure, Al, because we are going to be able to convince Arthur that he is really centuries old, that we're his two younger brothers, and that he turned himself into a kid by accident through a magical mishap…"

Alfred shrugged. "Well, it was worth a shot…"

He came out to the room holding a ratty old bear. Parts of its stuffing were coming out of its sides, and it was missing an eye, but it seemed well taken care of and well used. It was as big as Arthur was now, a little smaller than Alfred's torso.

"Is that Arthur's?" Matthew asked as they left the room and walked back to Alfred's room.

"Yup. I just hope he recognizes it." The reached the door, and alffred stopped and turned to his slightly older brother.

"I have no freaking clue what we're gonna do about Arthur getting back to normal, alright? But all I have figured out is…" he lifted the bear again, "that we need to keep him here, and keep him safe. The next world meeting isn't for a few weeks…we have time."

Matthew sighed, and nodded.

"I'll be cleaning up downstairs…I'll go sleep in Arthur's room when I'm done.

Alfred pouted. "I was going to first!"

Matthew laughed and indicated Alfred's own room. "I completely doubt that."

With that, he left Alfred standing in front of the door, and headed downstairs.

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><p>AUTHOR'S COMMENTS:<p>

Yeah, it was pretty short...i'm sorry... I have so much homework right now, senior year is a b*tch...

So I really don't have an excuse for publishing this chapter after midnight...I really don't. I'm bored, and I don't want to write up my Bio Lab. Reason enough.

Anyway!

Hey, iNatix! England Without tea...yes, it is a scary concept...he just isn't our Iggy without it! Poor Canada indeed...but at least Iggy can see him! That's gotta be a point in his favor, eh? Yeah, I'm trying to make Iggy give into his needy heart more and more with each chapter...just wait for the next chapter, I think i have something quite cute in store...

iggy demon sis: I WANT A FAIRY!

Lol, memebunny12345, there are plenty of unicorns to go around! No fighting! I have the next chapter typed, so your wish shall be granted...soon!

PwnedByPineapple, I'm smiling so hard my face will rip. Glad you love the fluffy cuteness...I normally write angst, so this is a nice venture into the other spectrum! I always considered Alfred to be probably just as protective of Arthur as Artie was to him...it just made sense that some of that attitude would rub off. ^_^ Thanks!

FaithAltoire!~!~! ^_^ I like your long-winded rants, they make my day...chibi-Iggy is so adorable...I love him as much as I love Pirate!Iggy. I just wanted to reiterate that I think your artwork is amazing...and I love Tsubasa too! Fai's my favorite in that one...he's just...so...odd. ^_^

SandyAngel! Kill Scotland! For cute little adorable tortured Iggy! Haha!

Ewan22! Exactly my point! He didn't have tea for the first part of his life...and therefore he's never gotten rid of his tsundereness...but I love him that way, and don't want him to ever change. I figured after all the #!*% he's gone through with Scotland and Wales and Ireland, he'd never let go of the kind person...

And Moelolo, I'm so glad that you appreciate my work...I hope you read to the end! I try to publish only the best!

And Now...

...I just realized something about my writing...I tend to use a lot of run-on sentences. It's a habit. So I'm terribly sorry if this annoys you beyond belief...it's how I was taught all throughout school. They didn't like short sentences... I'm considering going back through my fics and trying to fix them, but Only if I have time. Right now, with all this Bio Homework I'm ignoring, that seems a little hard...

But anyway, I'm trying to make Iggy more and more clingy as the chapters go on, as I told iNatix. I figured that he's been hurt enough in his short life, that when he meets the first person or persons (sorry, Canada, forgot to include you) to show him any sort of kindness in the smallest degree, he would become more and more open to them.

The next chapter that will be posted either tomorrow or the day after (I promise!) is one I've had in my head for a while, and I was excited that I finally wrote it.

Also, speaking of fics I plan to write (I'm just stalling now... stupid Bio), I was thinking of writing some more HetaOni...there are some good scenes between Arthur and Alfred that can be explored in more detail.

Oh! And before I forget, I'm doing a "Storage Cleaning" series of fanfics, each separate from the other, but the premise is this: Arthur is helping Alfred clean up his attic, and he runs into some of America's items that do or do not bring back happy memories. I have a chapter for the Revolution, and one for 1812, but other than that...

I have nothing. But if you people do, I would be so glad to hear of some...the two I have are quite depressing right now, which is rather unfortunate. Even though I thrive on angst, I love a good fluffy piece every once in a while. Thanks!

...Now I really should do my Bio HW. So please, review, and a free mini-Iggy will be sent. Thanks, and thanks for reading!

-Fang


	8. Chapter 8

Hey there, Fang here. Here's the next installment...please enjoy!

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><p>Alfred opened the door to the bedroom and turned on the light. Arthur was definently awake, his eyes open and staring at the door Alfred had just opened. " #!*% ," Alfred murmured under his breath. "I thought he was asleep…"<p>

Arthur looked on the verge of it, though. His wide eyes were darkened with rimming circles, and he more than once stifled a yawn. He was running on sheer endurance now.

"Artie…you shouldn't be up. You've had a rough day." Alfred stepped slowly across the room to the bed.

"…But…"

"But what?"

Artie drew his knees up to his chest, and hugged them. "I thought you had finally…left me alone."

Alfred rushed over to Artie and gathered him to his chest, ignoring Artie's quiet cry of surprise.

"What? Come on, Iggy…you know me better than that…" Alfred nuzzled Arthur's hair, trying to give some comfort.

"The #!*% are you talking about? I barely know you!" The boy pushed himself away from Alfred's embrace and went to toddle over to the far end of the bed.

Alfred huffed, and finally reached for the old plaything he had left at the edge of the bed.

"Artie I only left to get this." He held out the bear.

Arthur turned around and his mouth dropped open.

"J-Jack?"

Alfred nodded and made to speak, but Arthur had already stood up quickly. He ran across the bed, but he tripped on a snag in the blankets and fell face down on the bed. He looked up, embarrassment flushing his cheeks. Alfred couldn't help but chuckle. Arthur's mouth folded into a tiny scowl, but Alfred still decided to reach for his and pick him up.

He sat Arthur in his lap, and then placed the bear in front of him. Arthur grabbed for him and held him tightly, sinking back into the pillow Alfred had made of himself. He petted it lovingly, and squeezed it until the stuffing started to puff out of the sides again. Alfred went back to running his fingers through Arthur's hair; it seemed to have a calming effect on him.

"I…don't know where you found him, or how he looks so old…but thank you." Even though his voice was muffled by the stuff and fluff of the bear, Alfred heard every word.

Arthur waved at something in the air, a look of happy annoyance in his face.

"Minty, just go find Uni downstairs, alright…"

He gave a tiny laugh, and petted the air.

"I love you too, Minty…but I'm safe, alright?"

He nodded at the air.

Arthur moved in his lap into a more comfortable position with his head resting on Alfred's chest. Alfred rubbed his arm, being mindful of the bandage.

"…you tired?"

Silence came from Arthur, only broken by a sleepy little nod. Alfred grinned, and lifted the boy and his bear onto the bed. Arthur laid his head on the pillow, snuggling up against Jack. Alfred got up and turned off the light.

"Wait-!" Arthur cried as Alfred stepped out of the door. Alfred turned around to see Arthur sitting up, confusion in his eyes.

"…Aren't…Aren't you staying?"

Alfred's heart went out to the scared, strong little boy trying not to sound needy. Of course Arthur wouldn't want to sleep alone. He should have known.

Arthur stuttered to try and cover up his blunder. "I-I mean, if blood Scotland come back-"

Alfred was already walking to the other side of the bed and slipping underneath the covers. Arthur moved to the edge of his side, turning away from Alfred. The American only smiled.

"Night, Artie."

Arthur only pulled the covers up over his head without a sound. Alfred shoved his hands behind his head on the pillow and stared up at the dark ceiling.

Arthur was a puzzle, he commented to himself. One minute he's starved for attention, and the next he's pushing away again. Wants versus self preservation, Alfred thought, remembering the horrid letters. But the fact that Alfred had finally shown Artie that he was a good guy was an achievement in itself. All those stories France had told him about being a bratty kid who was never happy weren't false, per se, but were justifiable for once. Arthur didn't have any other way out of his situation.

Alfred wondered randomly where Matthew was, and if he was in bed yet. But ne couldn't risk leaving the bed with Artie still so adamant that he stayed. He didn't want another confrontation like the one in the rain.

There was a rustle in the bed, and Alfred turned his head to see Arthur roll over once towards him and then lay still. Alfred lifted his head, his curiosity piqued. Arthur rolled over to him again; he was in the middle of the king size bed. His eyes were squeezed tightly shut in a pretense of sleep. Alfred smirked at his lack of stealthiness, but indulged Artie anyway.

Arthur rolled once more. He was almost touching Alfred's arm, and Alfred stifled his laugh. Oh, Artie…you try so hard to act nonchalant, he though to himself. Deciding to help him out, he wrapped his arm around the little body. Arthur finally opened his eyes and scrambled on top of Alfred's chest, curling up and laying his head on Alfred's shoulder. Alfred grinned, and adjusted the covers around Arthur and himself. He looped one arm around Arthur and held him protectively.

Artie lifted his head and whispered into Alfred's ear, "Night…"

Alfred waited for Artie's breathing to grow deep and regular in a much needed sleep. Alfred's hand went into the strands of Arthur's soft hair again, and his other arm tightened unconsciously on Arthur's back. He moved his head and kissed the sleeping child's forehead. Alfred closed his eyes.

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><p>AUTHOR'S COMMENTS:<p>

Well, first things first:

HunterWindstalker, thank you for answering my question, and I'm glad you're still enjoying this story!

AH, Sandyangel...Bwa ha ha ha ha ha no more Scotland! I approve!

Hey, meme12345bunny! Haha, when I read your request, I had already written this all, so I think I found a good place to put Flying Mint Bunny..Hope you approve! And really...you did that...that's hilarious! I have continued, and shall for a few more chapters! Thanks!

Musingsage, that's definently a great victory for Arthur...He needed to get back at them for everything, no doubt about it. I'm glad you like my writings, I shall continue to perform the best i can!

Moelolo! Yes, I don't like writing yaoi very much, and I still can't see how they can be considered a pairing (sorry, USUK fans) considering the fact that they are brothers...which, I like brotherly fluff way more than them as a couple. But thank you for reading! HOpe it gets cuter!

Hey, lilsandstorm! Lets see if I can rot your teeth out of your mouth with cuteness...I shall try my best!

FaithAltoire! Yes, I think Fai is the best (damn...i always go for tormented characters...) And that's amazing! I'm so excited to see the fanart...and again, thank you so much for taking the time and deciding to do them! I'll look out for your fic, it sounds extremely awesome. I love those three, Iggy and the twins...And Yes, I love your rants, I'm always excited when it pops up in my email ^_^ TTYL!

And iNatix, Homework kills everyone...I got 5 hours of sleep over 3 days. I feel accomplished... And I'm excited that this is one of your favorite stories! And the Boston Tea Party...that's a good Idea! I'll add it to my list of chapters for that upcoming story. Thank you so much!

Hey, PwnedByPineapple! I know what you mean... I have to write these chapters at school when I really should be paying attention in class...but eh, Fic is more important. ^_^ Haha, Diabetes...nice one. And yes! I'll start writing the Storage Room Fics after I finish this one, which shouldn't last too much longer. Obsess over my fics as much as you want, that makes me feel good! I'm glad you like it!

Hey, Iggy22. Thanks for the idea! Yes, they could,but I don't want to drag Scotland and the rest into this fiction, since I want it to be more about Alfred and Arthur;s relationship and Arthur's dealing with his past...Don't worry, though, I have a way to figure out how to get Iggy back to normal!

LoveGaara06! haha, you should be able to find out next chapter, if I don't stray from my schedule. And thank you so much for the tip! I went back and reread this story, and I totally saw where you were coming from. I went back and fixed it up, and I think it does sound much better. It's comments like these that I thrive on! Thank you again. I will try to write some HetaOni fiction really soon, I have a few ideas...Please read to the end!

To Whoever sent this one, I normally do pretty short chapters, about 1000 words each or so, mostly because I am rather lazy, but I shall continue! Thank you!

Hey, xXAmericaXTheXHeroXx, Haha! Well, sure, I could use a fangirl! ^_^ I'm so glad you really like this story, It's a joy to write. Please continue to read and enjoy!

And to Chandinee Richards, Yep! Iggy didn't have tea...quite the travesty, isn't it?

O.O Thanks so much for the reviews..I love them...just...so...much...*dies from love*

Anyway! *back alive again*

Yes, I think there are only going to be 3 more chapters to this story...plus maybe an epilogue idea a reviewer gave me. It's closing in on the ending...I'm actually kind of sad. Little Iggy is so much fun to write. This story in general is fun to write. But everything has an ending...T_T

But I have more stories coming up, and some are written Already (I handwrite fics before I type them...it just seems more personally that way.), so I wont post them until I'm completely finished with this one.

Haha! Well...you know the drill...I thrive on reviews, and the ones i've been getting i've been loving. I love you guys! Thank you!

-Fang


	9. Chapter 9

Hey there, Fang here.

I UPDATED!

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><p>When Alfred awoke, there was a small dibit in the bed where a little British boy had once lain.<p>

Alfred sat up at once, fully awake.

"Arthur?"

No response from anywhere in the room. The Teddy bear was still lying on the bed, just where Artie had had it last night.

"Arthur!"

He whipped his head around in a panic. The door was open, and the light was on in the hallway. Alfred flung himself out of bed and pounded down the stairs.

"Mattie! Mattie! Arthur's gone! We have to-"

He rounded his way into the kitchen and found Matthew pouring batter onto a griddle.

"Mattie?" He asked in confusion. Canada grinned and anchored his head back a bit. Alfred walked into the kitchen.

Arthur sat on the kitchen table, digging a knife into a pile of pancakes swimming in maple syrup. His hair and face were dyed a weird brown from the sticky stuff, as was his clothing and his hands. Matthew laughed.

"He's on his fifth so far, and still going strong…Looks like you got that from him, eh?"

Alfred could only slump down at the table in relief. Mattie brought over a pile of pancakes taller than Arthur and slapped them down in front of his brother.

"He got up early and decided to come downstairs. I figured he was hungry, so…yes!"

Arthur hadn't even stopped eating to nod a hello to Alfred, and was now trying to unstick his hand from the knife.

"He's a mess."

Matthew shrugged. "It's what you get when you give a kid something sweet and gooey!"

Alfred grinned, and dug into his breakfast of champions.

Not even five minutes later, Alfred had demolished his, and Arthur was sitting contentedly on the now-brown tablecloth.

"You need a bath, bro. And badly…" Alfred, now that the thought of Arthur gone from the house was out of his mind, was back to his cheery self, focused on keeping the little boy from any sort of fear. He reached over and de-stickied his brother from the tablecloth, holding him out at arm's length.

"Hey, Mattie, can you clean up?" he laughed. Matthew nodded, and Alfred took the grumbling but full Arthur upstairs.

Matthew took barely any time to clean up, and was interrupted right at the end of cleaning the mostly unused counters by the doorbell. He almost jumped out of his skin; who would be calling on Arthur now, of all time?

Wiping his hands on the towel, he went into the front hallway and opened the door.

"L'Angleterre! Oh…no…Matthieu? Ou est L'Angleterre?"

France let himself in despite Matthew's protests that it wasn't a good time, that Arthur was indisposed, etcetera, etcetera.

"France…can you speak English? It is England's house, after all…"

"Ugh…zis tasteless language is soo hideous…but fine." He looked around, confused.

"But, why are you here? You don't normally come to visit l'Angleterre…I came to explore with him the untapped reservoirs of the friendship hidden deep within! Well…somewhere, anyway…"

"Look, Francis…he's not quite himself at the moment…" Matthew hesitated, unsure of how much he should tell his former caretaker. "He's…a child now, actually…"

"What?" France's look of disbelief was unmistakable. Matthew nodded and motioned him into the adjourning hallway.

Alfred was just finished cleaning the syrup off of the boy, and was coming down the stairs. He stopped when he saw the dumbfounded Frenchman and whispered a silent ' #!*% ' under his breath.

"Um…France?"

France was blatantly staring at the little blonde child clinging fast to Alfred's shirt. Arthur gave a little cry of surprise, and hid his face in Alfred's shoulder. France walked up to the two, and reached out to touch the little boy. Alfred drew Arthur away an apologetic look in his eyes.

"…l'Angleterre?"

Arthur curled up even further into Alfred.

"What do you want, Frog…"

"…it is you, Arthur?"

"Of course it's me!" Arthur snapped his head up, his eyes afire. "What do you want, France? If you blood try to invade me again, I won't give in! I'll beat you! I'll-"

Alfred covered Arthur's mouth and held him close, effectively cutting him off.

"Artie, he's not gonna hurt you, alright? Otherwise, we wouldn't have let him come in."

"But he's France!"

Alfred glanced at the blonde.

"He's…changed a bit, dude. It's fine…he's not here to do anything to you."

Arthur glared at the Frenchman and shrugged.

"So it iz true zhen…zhat he is…" France began.

Alfred shook his head no, stopping his words. France, his arms crossed about his chest, still looked at little Arthur,

"So now…since he seems unharmed…what exactly do we do now?"

"Don't talk about me like I'm not bloody here!" Arthur screeched at his nemesis, his voice filled with annoyance, hatred, and a little fear. Francis almost flinched. Maybe it wasn't the best idea for him to come here.

Alfred soothed the smoldering child by running his fingers through his choppy blonde locks. Francis couldn't help but notice how tightly Arthur clung to America's shirt, and he swallowed a smile.

"Mon cher, Matthieu, perhaps it would be best for me to leave zeh room with l'Angleterre in his current state…" he said flippantly, hiding his disappointed frown at Arthur's reaction. With a flourish, France whooshed out of the hallway and Canada followed him out.

Arthur finally relaxed in Alfred's arms, letting go of his shirt. Alfred didn't stop petting his hair, and the boy didn't complain.

"What was he doing here…"

"…Probably just wanted to see how you were."

Arthur looked warily over at the room where France had disappeared into. Alfred lifted him up and sat him on his shoulders. Arthur grabbed at the larger man's hair in surprise.

"W-What are you doing?'

"Haha! You don't like being tall?"

"Warn me next time, you bloody git!"

Alfred laughed, and with Arthur thoroughly distracted, he took him outside to attempt something Arthur may not have done before.

France was staring out at the window, unusually quiet for his personality. Canada hugged Kumajiro, a little uncomfortable with the situation.

"Sorry, Francis…about England…"

"It iz no trouble…I expected a bit more yelling, actually…"

He saw Alfred and Arthur come out from the front door, Arthur on top of the elder's shoulders.

"heh…zis brings me back…"

Canada went to join his older brother at the window. Outside, Alfred was talking to Arthur bout something. Arthur looked confused.

"It's odd, seeing him like that again…I knew he was small, but that small?" France reminisced, crossing his arms. The scene outside changed, and Arthur was tackling Alfred, knocking him back. Artie landed on his brother's chest, genuine laughter bursting from his smiling mouth. Soon, both of them were laughing loudly, Arthur grabbing onto Alfred to keep him from falling off.

France looked on, a sad smile on his face.

"I've never seen him laugh like that…or open up that much."

Matthew nodded, deciding it was best to stay silent. France stretched his arms above his head and yawned, trying to cover up his lapse in character.

"Ah! But since it seems l'Amerique has everything under control…I suppose I should hurry to my lovely Charlene…I have a date with here! And it wouldn't get me in bed with her if I am late!" he winked at Matthew and went to the door.

As France walked out, he caught one more glimpse of the two. Arthur was riding on Alfred's back, a shy, unsure smiling lighting up his normally scowling face. And surprisingly enough, Alfred looked content as well, as if he was finally comfortable with being with this new, changed verson of his older brother. France shook his head fondly.

"Arthur…enjoy your childhood." He whispered to the two, before exiting the yard.

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><p>AUTHOR<p>

AUTHOR'S COMMENTS:

So...many reviews...

Ok, if this amount of reviews (WHICH I LOVE TO MY HEART'S CONTENT) keeps up, I may start responding to these in PMs. Cause I think my comments page is almost as long as the actual chapter... BUT...if you guys think it's fine, I shall keep it this way!

Anyway!

lilsandstorm, I like the family side myself a lot. Especially the brotherly aspect. Don't rot your teeth! Then you can't eat any more cuteness...

SandyAngel, ...I'm sure Scotland deserved it...!

Hey, PwnedByPineapple! I'm glad that sneaky Arthur scene was such a hit! I thought it would be a cute touch...I'm glad you thought so!

What Up, iNatix! The episodes of Iggy's past really...arn't of Iggy's past...sorry, I should have made that clearer...I got the Scotland relationship to Iggy through the episode in Axis Powers when Chibi America asks England if he can be his big brother. There are eps of Chibi England in Axis, so I'm going off of that as well!

Hey, LoveGaara06! I'm happy you think I kept him in character! I particularly don't like it when characters go a little OOC on me...so I try to keep them as close to the canon as possible. I figured Iggy wouldn't change much from Little to Adult, so I kept him the same. I'm glad you picked up on it! And I like Cuteness...as much as I love angst, I need a break every once in a while...Thanks!

Iggy22, that's exactly what I was going for! I figured since Adult Iggy is all James Bond when it comes to spying, I wanted to see him be so purposefully unstealthy...I thought it was a cute scene! Thanks for reading!

Hello, Lunar Iris! Thanks for the writing tip. I did go back and notice that it does kind of read like a list...I shall see what I can do in the coming chapters. I think it's because I tend to write stories in the third person omniscient viewpoint, and therefore I try to tell what everyone is thinking at the exact same time. I'll see how I can tighten up my next chapter! And in response to your second paragraph, this plot point has been something I've wanted to to for quite some time now, and now that I'm doing it, it is becoming excessively long-ish...but that's alright! I totally share your opinion on Arthur...but that's what makes him so cute...! ^_^ Clingy Artie...I like that idea! I'll try to do something with your 'take Arthur away from Alfred' idea for you, because I think it would be so adorable...thank you so much!

Hey, Asari-Keiko! Sorry about the short chapters...I've had many complaints about them, so I shall try my hardest to lengthen them out appropriately. I have considered adding Scotland in, just to torture Iggy even more, But I'm stuck trying to find a reason to bring him into contact with Alfred, Arthur, and Mattie. I did put Francis in! Yeah! Thank you!

Chandinee Richards, you couldn't have said it better. An Iggy without tea is...well...impossible.

Hey, ElricLawliet! I'm sorry I didn't update soon, I've been so swamped with play practice and schoolwork...But I'm back! And you, hopefully, will get more adorableness as I write, Hope this chapter was up to par with the others!

(No, Guys, we are not Almost done. We're halfway done. ^_^ ^_^ ^_^)

Hey, Lady Sandra of Sealand! I can't promise Iggy will stay like this forever...I'll turn him back eventually for the big meaningful angsty conversation at the end of this, but I'm happy you're so enthusiastic about this story!

meme12345bunny, Don't hurt FLying Mint Bunny! I actually made a plushie of him for my con... . yeah...it was awesome! I have continued!

And xXAmericaXTheXHeroXx, I can't believe I have a fangirl...I'm glad you think my writing is good , I try the best I can!

FaithAltoire...Um...All I have to say it O.O. Yes. I shall respond to your lovely extensive rant in a PM as soon as possible, because my response is looooong...but I will say, it totally made my day! Thank you SO SO SO SO SO SO much!

And to darkangels1112, true enough. Heh, this is a nice break for me too, I'm not really writing angst...T_T but that's alright!

Phi Flower Princess, Haha! You're so estatic, it makes me happy...I'm sorry I kind of stopped updating, I have...umm...3 other stories in the process right now, but now that I have a direction, I shall update! It is rather cute, isn't it?

And last but more than definently not least, to earthluva! Yes! France did make an appearance! If I do end up doing a world meeting scene...Well, then France will show up again. Poor Iggy...he has to be so #!*% confused and scared right now...Thanks!

H. o. l. y. c. r. a. p.

That was so much fuN!

Anyway...

France finally is in. I know he didn't play much of a part in it, but I needed an impartial observer who wasn't Matthew to reminisce about what Iggy was like back in the day, and Since you were all wondering about France, I thought, Well, #!*% , Why not?

I left his personal thoughts open to interpretation as well. That's the English poetry writer in me...What is France thinking...I could probably come up with some definitive answer, but eehhhh...I like it better this way.

And I want to do a James Bond Arthur fic as well...Couldn't you just see it?

(The man stood up from the bar nonchalantly. He glanced behind him at the lovely young, well dressed woman who had come that close to a bullet being shot through her head.

That same bullet was lying on the floor, pieces of a shattered mirror shining around it. Two men, blood pouring from their chests, one with the offending weapon, lay on the other side of the bar.

The man slipped his gun back into his holster, before turning completely around to face the lady, not bothering to smooth out his forever rumpled hair.

The woman gazed at him in wonder.

"Who are you?"

The gentleman leaned up against the bar with one arm, and with his other hand, he pulled off his sunglasses. He let his emerald orbs gaze into her eyes, his own filled with danger and mystery. Slowly, he reached for the bottle of wine on his right, and the empty glass on his left. He filled the crystal with the dark red liquid.

He offered it to her.

"Kirkland. Arthur Kirkland.")

...

And that is the end of my fantasy. Yes. Ummm...I'm just going to crawl under a rock now...

Anyway! After that little piece of nonsense, I suppose i should go to bed...Please review, I love them so much...seeing 18 email alerts yelling at me in the morning before a Bio test really lifts my spirits!

Thank you so much for putting up with my rant! See you later!

-Fang


	10. Chapter 10

hey there, Fang here. I'm back! and I finally decided to update this fic! Hope you like...I'm gonna wrap this story up in the next few chapters

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><p>It had been two days now since Arthur had transformed himself. While Alfred was joyous in the fact that his brother had finally accepted him, he was getting worried. Arthur had shown no signs of growing older or of any spell reversal. Alfred would try magic himself, but since that day of the backfire, Arthur's wand had been missing. Alfred and Mattie had fielded phone calls from the government asking for the Brit but they both knew they couldn't do much more of this hiding Arthur's condition from the world. If they could do anything, right then and there would be the time to do so.<p>

But all the unfortunate circumstances aside, Alfred was enjoying the Little Arthur that had replaced his older brother. Sure, he was quiet and rude, but that was the shield Alfred had just learned to penetrate to the childish personality inside. Arthur was clingy as h*ll ; he could be extremely shy with even the closest people, and he loved playing. From his confused expression when Alfred first asked what game he wanted to play, Alfred could only assume Arthur had never had a chance to play at all. The rest of that day was spent teaching Arthur games such as Hide-And-Seek and Tag.

Even so, however, the problem remained. A major meeting of Parliament was taking place in two days, and Arthur was required to be there. Alfred decided that now was a good time to start panicking.

"Mattie, I'm serious! I don't have any idea of what to do about him! We have to fix him…somehow, anyway…" He banged his head against the wall in frustration. Matthew sipped his maple syrup calmly and glanced up at the ceiling.

"You had better shush, brother…or Arthur will come down to see what's wrong…"

It was too late. Artie was standing at the bottom of the stairwell.

"What do you mean, 'do about me'?" he asked up at Alfred. "Is there something wrong?"  
>Alfred quickly grabbed the wide-eyed boy and swung him in his arms, close to his chest.<p>

"No, no, Arthur, you're perfect…" he hugged him tightly. Arthur's brow was still creased in worry.

"but…you said I had to be fixed…that means I'm broken, right?" he clutched Alfred's shirt, shining green eyes searching blue imploringly. "What's wrong with me, Alfred? Where did I break?"

Alfred smoothed down Arthur's downy, messy strands of hair to calm him.

"Arthur, you are not broken. There is nothing wrong with you at all. And don't let anyone tell you different, alright? Not even France, not even Scotland. You don't have to change at all. They are two bastardy mother- f*cking b*tch - ss sh*t -head sons of b*tches and you don't have to put up with their assholery. You don't need fixing, they do. Got it?"

Arthur stared, his mouth open like a fish.

"That was a lot of bad words…" he said in shocked admiration. Alfred colored and stuttered.

"No, no, I don't mean you should- I mean- I didn't-

"You talked like a pirate! That's what I want to be when I get older; I want to be a pirate! And swear like that, and have adventures, and go everywhere! I've been practicing my cussing, but it sure isn't as good as that! I have to practice more!"

Alfred couldn't help but laugh at the little country's sparkling eyes filled with light and enthusiasm.

"Well then, do you want to play a new game then? I call it 'Buried Treasure'. And you're a pirate captain, and I'm the first mate, and we get something to make a ship out of and-"

"Yes! Yes!" Arthur bounced wildly in Alfred's arms, and wriggled away from him. In a split second, he had dashed towards the stairs.

"I saw a…a…harbor box up here! That's what you said it was called! And it was big, even you could sit in it! We could use that!"

Alfred winked at Matthew, crisis safely averted, before tramping up the stairs after Arthur.

"It's 'cardboard, Iggy! 'Cardboard'!"

Matthew simply grinned, and shook his head. Now if Arthur was like this all the time…

Arthur led Alfred to the parlor room, where this whole little problem had started with just a bit of magic. Automatically, Arthur ran to Alfred to lift him up and put him in the cardboard box-turned pirate ship next to the tea table, which Alfred did.

With Arthur exploring the treasures of the box and chucking them one by one onto the floor, the American took time to look under chairs and in cushions for that ever-elusive object that could possibly lead to all these d*me problems being fixed.

"Alfred, why are you looking around? What are you looking for?" Arthur's head popped out of the box curiously. Alfred shrugged.

"Just something very important to me that I lost a while back…it looks like a stick, but it has weird symbols and designs covering the wood, and it's shiny and smooth…"

He heard Artie go back to rummaging, so he assumed that the boy had lost interest and went back to cleaning out his soon-to-be pirate ship. Vaguely, he wondered what Mattie (The only one in the house at the time who could actually cook) would be making for lunch, and he desperately hoped Arthur's pantry was running low on maple syrup. Wait, he had heard a car head out of the driveway. That must've been Mattie, he concluded. D*mn, what he would do to get some delivery pizza…

"You mean this thing?"

Alfred turned to see Arthur turning a long stick of polished wood over in his hands. Alfred's heart leapt.

"Yes! Iggy, Iggy, that's it! Thank you so much!" Alfred was beaming ear to ear. They had the wand. They were that much closer to getting Arthur back to normal.

"What does it do?" Arthur asked, pointing it at the curtains. Alfred hurried to put the cushion he was messing with back on the sofa.

"Artie, don't play with it, it's a little dangerous!"

But Arthur had already pointed it at his own small body in childish curiosity. Instantly, to Alfred's horror, the wand shot a small beam of light straight into Arthur's chest, and the boy froze in shock.

A vibrating hum came from the magical instrument, and pulsated throughout the room. Alfred rushed to the child and reached for the wand, but an electric shock zapped through him as soon as he touched it. He flew back, stunned for a second. Arthur was beginning to cry his name in fear.

"Arthur! Artie, let go of it! Now!" he yelled frantically at him, trying to make himself heard over the increasingly loud vibrations.

"I can't! Alfred, I'm stuck! Alfred, Alfred, Help me!" He screamed in fear, struggling with the wand. A bright light shot from it and circled the little boy, glowing and ghostlike, lighting up his scared face as the pulses grew louder. Alfred could barely hear his own cries above the deafening pitch and even Artie's screams were drowned out. But the panic in Artie's face was al he needed to know.

Suddenly the pulses stopped. The light closed in around Arthur, and a single pulse of light shot into his chest.

Arthur was blasted back across the room with an explosion of light.

"ARTHUR!" Alfred screamed. The boy hit the opposite wall in a flash of white, blinding anyone in the room. He shielded his eyes until the agonizing light passed, and the room was bathed in the sane beams of morning light.

He looked around wildly for his brother. "Arthur?"

No response.

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><p>AUTHOR'S COMMENTS:<p>

Heehee...well, i had to get something pirate-y in here somewhere...

Anyway, the reviews!

HunterWindstalker! Yes, I agree with you on the age-issue about Iggy. And once I finish this fic, and the two others I am currently working on, I will write a James Bond Fic for Iggy. History is my absolute favorite subject in high school right now, so that's pretty much why Hetalia fascinates me.

meme12345bunny! It took a while, but I have continued. And no, I haven't seen her...oh well...Scotland can go die...

Hey, Iggy22! Yeah, I'm taking Arthur's history a lot worse than it probably was, so his relationship with France really isn't that good...Well, considering France did take over him for a while there, I guess it's understandable...

And lilsandstorm, I'm glad your teeth are still rotting! I like cuteness...cuteness makes me happy...

Hey, LoveGaara06! Heehee, I'm happy you've stayed with me throughout this terribly long story. Yeah, I didn't want France to be a major part of "Young Again", but I did want him there to show a contrast between Little Iggy then and Little Iggy now. Thanks!

Hi, iNatix! I always wanted to do a scene like that, and it was so much fun...It was just such a cute image! I do too, about France, but Iggy still didn't really like him. And France has changed over the years (well, not the pervert part) but he did gain more a heart. And yeah, you probably have seen those episodes, since the Scotland bit is just a few seconds. It's easy to miss.

Sandyangel! Yup, Scotland can't do sh*t to him anymore! Happiness!

Hey, earthluva! Sorry it took so long to get a chapter up, I was really busy. Still, I hope you liked this chapter! I'm glad you think this fic is adorable!

And PwnedByPineapple! Yeah! I don't mind France much either, I think he is probably one of the most human of countries. (Doesn't detract from my Iggy-obsession though...) I still love the maple syrup scene so much...I thought it was rather adorable. Death by over-Chibi!Iggy ness...that sounds like the best way to die ever!

Hey, yoong! That's a good question...I figure that Scotland and his other brothers would be a bit jealous, i would think...mostly because they threw away that chance to have such a close relationship with their younger brother.

xXAmericaXTheXHeroXx! Haha, thanks for being such a devoted fangirl! Wow, reading all my other works? I have quite a few...That's dedication...Haha, I think I have a few more chapters to go on this story, so hang tight!

And WriterCat! O.O O.O O.O O.O...I had no idea I had 100 reviews for this story! Holy crap...That just made my day... Anyway, yeah, Iggy's childhood was a hole of sh*t...So I'm trying to write it as Alfred trying his hardest to make it better and give Arthur a taste of how he should have grown up. I will keep up this fic, thank you!

Hey, FaithAltoire! I'm back! Yeah, I decided I'm not going to bring Scotland into this fic. Number One, it definently would complicate things, as you said, and Number Two, I'm not at all comfortable with writing him just yet. I probably won't do a conference scene either, since this fic has gone on long enough. However! If enough people ask for one, I could probably write up a simple addition fic to this one and make it a separate story. Iggy heaven...I would like to go there...it sounds amazing...I'm glad you thought it was that cute! I would love to see your artwork, quite a lot! ...And that was the best story I've heard in a long time...PASTA! (I'll respond to your other super long review soon, hang tight!)

ThE-faInTinG-faNGirl! haha, I gave you more mini-Iggy, and I do have plans for a James Bond-Iggy fic as well. O.O Brittainia Angel Plushie! Now that's incentive, Haha!

Hey, TheOneAndOnlySuccessor! Sorry I didn't update soon...But I'm glad you and others think it's cute! I'm usually not too good at writing fluff...I'm more of an angst girl. Iggy deserved a childhood after all he went through...he'll be alright in the end.

And Lunar Iris, Thanks for your kind review! I still love the syrup scene...messy children are the epitome of childhood! I didn't intend to put France into this story at all at first, but people wanted it and so I found a spot to stick him in. I'm glad it fit right. Since he really isn't the main plotline of my story, I only had him appear for one chapter because I want to focus more upon the relationship between Arthur and Alfred. Still, he was necessary to connect back to Arthur's earlier childhood, so I made sure he wasn't as flamboyant and perverted as usual to keep the mood going. Yes, I will write a James Bond fic for our favorite Englishman, and he will be amazing. Thank you again!

And Now to Kyrie Fae! Thank you so much for reviewing! You don't know how much I appreciate it. Haha, I believe I already responded to your wonderful review privately, so I just wanted to say thank you once again.

And now...back to my comments!

Yes. There will be a James Bond fic. In fact, I am watch- I mean researching...Bond films. All of them. I feel so British and awesome.

I will stay more on track with posting and all, but since I just got Skyrim...it will be quite a challenge...but I SHALL OVERCOME! Or get mauled by dragons on a mountain...because that's just how I roll...

Anyway, Until next time! Thank you for all your reviews, it was the only way I could pull myself away from my Skyrim to publish. Please continue to do so!

-Fang


	11. Chapter 11

Hey there, Fang here.

Alright, I have finally fixed this chapter...finally...after months...but hey. W/e. Enjoy!

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><p>"ARTHUR!" Alfred screamed. The boy hit the opposite wall in a flash of white, blinding anyone in the room. He shielded his eyes until the agonizing light passed, and the room was bathed in the sane beams of morning light.<p>

He looked around wildly for his brother. "Arthur?"

No response.

Alfred ran over to the scarlet curtains and dug in them hurriedly to find the little bundle. He uncovered it hurriedly, throwing curtains right and left until he felt the deathly still tiny form underneath one more layer.

Pulling it away, the sprawled body of Arthur lay silent in the pile of fabric. He was still as small as the tiniest child.

"Arthur?" Alfred carefully picked up his brother in his arms, cradling him in one while he searched for the wand with his other. Arthur didn't respond, and he didn't wake up. Under his disarrayed hair, his expression could have been one of the dead.

Finally giving up his search for the wand one more time, he turned his attention to Arthur, still in his arms. He lifted the soft bundle up and carried him swiftly up the stairs to his room, laying him on the large bed and shoving as many blankets and pillows around him as he could. Alfred sat on the bed next to the silent little boy, and stroked his hair gently.

"Artie?" he whispered. Once again, there was no reply. The child lay as still and pale and cold as before. Alfred frantically checked to make sure he was even breathing. His pulse was there, fluttering and faint under the pale skin. Alfred sat back in relief, leaning his head against the headboard.

Somehow the wand had backfired on Artie…had it not recognized him? What was its intent? It didn't seem to have hurt him…but there was that bolt of something that shot into his body.

It didn't make a sense. But then again, what did recently?

Matthew must have gone out shopping; otherwise he would have heard the commotion. Alfred decided that the only thing he could do was sit with him and wait for him to wake up.

Not as soon as he had decided this did he hear a small moan from the other being in the room, and instantly Alfred was up around him, laying a hand on his head.

"Iggy? You alright?" he asked gently. Arthur's eyes opened slowly, and he blinked a few times, the clouds fading away from his green orbs. He turned his head towards Alfred, and his eyes widened in recognition.

"Alfred! Bloody #!*% …what the #!*% happened?"

He started to rise, but Alfred held him down.

"Don't get up! You've had a rough time…Artie, please just lie down."

The little Brit complied, but felt over his tiny body in shock. He stared at his 'big brother'.

"What the #!*% happened to me?" he yelled in disbelief at the top of his much-diminished lung capacity.

"What do you mean? You hit your head…"

"Alfred, be bloody serious. It's me, Arthur Kirkland, and this is the 21st century! Now what I want to know is why I still have a child's body!"

"….You…remember…"

"Of course I do! Now I want to know what is going on!" Arthur's little face was puffed up and red in frustration. Alfred, at first shocked and joyous about his apparent returned memory, was now trying his hardest not to laugh at Artie's shocked overreaction. Well, regardless of his current plight, at least it seemed that he had his memory back. The tiny Englishman struggled up from the bed, and grasped at his head in annoyance and pain.

" #!*% , my head hurts…" he grimaced, and would have fallen back had Alfred not reached an arm behind his back and held him up.

"Woah little buddy. That little tumble you had with that wand could not have turned out all hunky dory there. You were out for a few minutes."

With that, he scooped up his brother in his arms and settled him in his lap. Arthur was still preoccupied with his head during this occurrence, and so gave a cry of surprise at this.

"Alfred, what are you doing? This is highly undignified!"

"Dude, Seriously. It's just me, it's not like Parliament is going to burst through your door."

"It's embarrassing."

"No one but you really cares!"

"But that still means I do!"

Ignoring all of Arthur's struggles, Alfred threw him up in the air and then caught him, hugging him tightly to his chest.

"But Artie, you're so cute!"

Arthur's voice was muffled by Alfred's tight embrace. "Am...Not!"

Alfred rocked him back and forth in tease.

"You never told me you were so adorably small when you were beginning!" Alfred laughed.

"Can't…breathe…" came the mumbled response from his crushing arms. Al let go with an apologetic shrug, and laid back and set Artie down on his chest. There was that old glare and the huffy crossed arms of annoyance, if fake annoyance, that Alfred had to admit to himself that he missed.

"No wonder France wouldn't leave you alone." He joked, and earned a bunch of vicious but powerless hits to his chest. But the image of England, the great United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, was 4 years old and very childishly pounding upon Alfred's chest with his tiny fists was too much for Alfred to handle. He burst out laughing. Arthur's eyes widened and he hit even more furiously.

"Stop laughing! It's not funny!" He slid off of Alfred and sat on the edge of the bed. Alfred chuckled a bit more, and then got himself together. He moved next to his kind of #!*% off brother, and together they sat in silence for a bit.

"…So…" Alfred prompted him to speak. Arthur wasn't taking the bait though, opting to star at his tiny hands as if he still couldn't believe it. Alfred coughed.

"Do you remember anything?"

"Anything is a rather broad term, chap." Artie still wasn't looking at him.

"Alright…um…how about…Do you know what happened to make you like this? Just for starts…"

Arthur shifted uncomfortably. "I…I was going to prove to you that I could do magic. My wand backfired."

"Well, at least your memory is definently back." More hesitantly, Alfred asked, "So you remember…the past few days?"

Artie didn't respond.

"You know…the whole 'you act like a kid' deal, and the France and the letters thing-"

"I don't want to talk about it." came the curt reply.

"But-"

"I said no."

Alfred shrugged, and let the matter drop. It was hard to remember, looking at the small country he had grown so used to knowing, that it was the adult Arthur inside that tiny body. And, hopefully, Artie would be back to normal before the Parliamentary meeting.

This was serious, anyone could see that.

But come on. It was funny as heck.

Wrapping an arm around his brother, he pulled him in close for support.

"Hey, if you don't want to, that's fine. But there's another issue at hand, bro, about turning you back to normal."

Arthur shook his head to clear it, his messy blonde hair getting in and out of his eyes.

"Alright…I would need my wand for that." He stood upon the bed, still barely coming up to Alfred's chin. "Do you have it?"

Alfred checked his pockets, and then smacked himself mentally when he remembered.

" #!*% …it's in the other room where you picked it up. I forgot it when you fell unconscious and I was freaking out-" he paused when he glanced at Arthur's amused smile. He cleared his throat and got up from the bed.

"Um…well…we should probably find out where you flung it during that freak out. At least we know it's in that one room." He started out hastily from the bedroom.

"Alfred…"

"Come on, Iggy, the sooner the better."

"No, you git, that's not it!"

"Look, Artie, I'm glad you have your memory back to normal, but you can't seriously have complaints about changing yourself back to normal physically…"

"Alfred, honestly, listen to me!"

"I have to admit, I doubt anyone would have complaints if you decided to stay like this, and you would probably get more girlfriends too-"

"Alright, Alright, enough with the teasing!"

Alfred grinned. "Haha! So what do you actually want to say?"

Arthur shifted his head down quickly, a red blush flushing his cheeks.

"I…I can't get down." He muttered, embarrassed. Alfred blinked, and then stifled another chuckled that Artie would have blown up that with a fury. Without a word, he went over to his brother standing on the edge of the bed and lifted him up in his arms. To Alfred, this was a recent normality he had frown very used to with the Artie who had no memory. But to Arthur, who with his new memory was more than definently not used to this, to be picked up was a travesty. #!*% , he felt useless.

Once he was off the bed, Arthur expected his younger brother to place him down on the floor, but Alfred showed no sign of doing such a thing. Indeed, he carried him out of the bedroom without a word and to the room where everything had gone haywire. Once they did reach it though, Arthur tapped on Alfred's shoulder in request to be put down. Alfred did so gently.

For a few seconds, Artie just stood and looked around his now much different surroundings. Yes, he had been in this tearoom hundreds of times. It was his absolute favorite room in the whole of his rather large house.

But now, from a stance of only maybe 20 inches, this room was alien. The tea table was above his head, the curtains were so large he could wrap himself in them. Looking up at his towering brother, he swallowed. As…different and interesting as this perspective was from his normal height, he didn't want to remain this way any longer. He stumbled a bit over his own feet as he clumsily began to adjust to his new body.

The door shut in the downstairs area; Mattie was home. Alfred's face lit up with excitement and then bent down to Arthur.

"I'm going to go tell Mattie what's gone down since he was gone. I'm pretty sure the wand is somewhere here." He patted him reassuringly. Arthur shoved it off, and brushed off his shoulder. Alfred grinned at him and left.

"I don't need you treating me like a bloody child!" He yelled after him, "even if I look like one for now…" he muttered. With a few murmured curses, he went to work.

Not under the pile of curtains, nor under the table or the chairs around it. He scoured the floor, looked everywhere he could reach, and decided that the wand was nowhere in his sight.

…He sighed reluctantly. It was probably up on a chair. Bloody wonderful.

Arthur gathered up his determination and took stock of what in the room was low enough to jump onto. A chair close to the table had rather knobby legs to it, perfect for tiny fingers and toes to climb onto. Arthur ran over to it.

"Alright, Arthur old chap…" he murmured to himself, looking at the different little notches and nooks in one promising wooden leg. With a huff of annoyance, he hooked his arms to a high little ledge and began climbing.

Though most of his thoughts were "I can't believe I'm doing this" and " #!*% you Alfred", Arthur did manage to work his way up into the chair. He sat smack on his little butt in relief when he finally made it.

"Wasn't as hard as I imagined…" he grumbled to himself. But now that he was in a higher stance in the room, he could see his wand upon the chair across from him, the table separating them. Time to conquer this obstacle as well.

Arthur stood up, surveying his potions. No real options were to be seen, except for a direct attack. Oh, posh, the table looked jumping distance away.

A rather loud crash and one flying British kid later, Arthur was rubbing his skinned arm on the tea table and marveling that the bowl of flowers hadn't fallen over in the landing. One more jump to the chair and victory was his!

He prepared to launch himself again, and gave himself a good running start. Off he went into the air, sailing smoothly like a bird. This would be a perfect landing! Even so small, Arthur could do anything! Up in the air, he felt like he could grow wings and-

"Artie, what the #!*% ?"

He crashed headfirst into the chair.

Alfred walked into the room, fallowed closely by Matthew. Arthur detangled himself from the chair, sitting up and rubbing his aching head. Alfred shot him a curious look.

"What were you doing?" he asked nonchalantly, and then noticed the wooden object sitting next to Arthur.

"Dude! I found your wand!" Alfred plucked it up off the chair. Arthur smacked his face with his palm and cursed rather profoundly.

"I could have gotten that myself, you know." Alfred continued.

Matthew, who was still standing invisible in the doorway, chuckled. "So it really is you! I'm glad."

Arthur quit complaining loudly long enough to nod his thanks to his softer younger brother. Still growling though, he hoisted himself off the chair and snapped up the wand Alfred offered him.

"You'll have to get me some clothes…and tea."

Alfred shrugged his acquiesce. Arthur stared at his wand, heavy in his hands.

"…Let's get this bloody thing fixed."

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><p>AUTHOR'S COMMENTS:<p>

Wow...I spent 4 Economics Periods writing that...not bad, I think!

Well, now to respond to the reviews that have been sitting in my email til the rust and mold of 500 years death has come upon them.

ElricLawliet! Haha, I loved reading your review. Well, now we know where Iggy can swear! And yes. Pirates are dead sexy. And Arthur Kirkland leads them all in smexyness. Hey, Look, I didn't kill Iggy! Now that would just be cruel and unusual punishment, even for Iggy. England will shoot you til you're dead if you butcher his precious language XD

Hey, gazlover12! Well, thank you for reviewing after reading for so long. I really appreciate it. I'm not usually into reading deaging fics myself, but I was surprised to find out how much i love writing this! Thank you for reading!

And Iggy22, good to hear from you again! Well, you found the answer to your question, hope it met your expectations! I wanted Little Iggy to see what it's like to actually be a child, so he's a lot more playful than he is as an adult or in the original manga. I like it!

iNatix, hi! I'm glad you liked that one line, it was one of my favorites and one of the few scenes i based this entire fic off of when I imagined it in my cluttered mind. And HA! That totally made me laugh when I went back and read that chapter with your review in mind! Great bit of humor there.

Hey, memebunny12345! Haha, use that picture for blackmail! Thanks for the cookie!

Sandyangel, Piratyness is the best, and THE Best of everything in this world.

xXAmericaXTheXHeroXx! Yay for being my fangirl, I love it.

Hey, TheOneAndOnlySuccessor! Haha, As you can probably tell by now, Cliffhangers and me get along very well! Squeal all you like, I enjoy it when My writing does that to people!

And Cupcakinator (I love that name, it's fun to say), I'm glad you've caught up and taken time to find it again! Thanks!

Hey, XxBeastYouMadeOfMexX, I doubt you could have said it better. I totally agree.

LoveGaara06! Hi! I'm sorry I left you wondering for so long, but now you don't have to! Cute? Awesome! Glad I can get cute across.

Hey, Lunar Iris! Yay, I created cute and scary at the same time! I feel accomplished. Arthur...why do you always get into trouble...You make so many people worry...haha, well, I think the story will go well from now on, no more cliffhangers like that! Thanks for reading! Once this and "Icy Darkness" are finished, I'll get going on that James Bond fic too.

Bumblebeecamaro38! Haha, no, he isn't pirate!Iggy, but...hm...I think you've given me an idea for another fic...Thank you!

FaithAltoire! Once again...as I said a month ago...I will send another long rant to you... Feeling guilty now about my laziness, but i will do it! Thanks for reading!

MDWOLFGIRL! Well, you found out! I hope it was a good idea!

Hey, vidami12354! haha, if you're a FrUK fan, then I see where you're coming from. I don't really ship pairings, so all of my fiction is brotherly. I am in love with cliffhangers *guilty grin* Glad I've hooked you, please keep reading!

And MerlinPotter1998, Sorry about the cliffhangers...they're so much fun to write!

OMG OMGOMGOMG

OMG! I cannot wait until Jan. 17, because SHERLOCK SERIES 2 COMES OUT ON DVD! *happy dance in room*

Alright, i'm calm again :I

Well, I think one or two more chapters ought to do it for this fic. I hope you enjoy reading it, because I enjoy writing it. Thank you, and please review. I really appreciate them.

-Fang


	12. Chapter 12

Hey there, Fang here.

...It's been...so...long...and I really have no excuse for my lack of muse and motivation. I'm so sorry, and so just for that, I've decided to add on another chapter to this story. Last chapter is coming up!

Oh, and again in apology, I am starting a spin-off series of this story which will just be full of child Arthur one-shots and little chaptered fics. Because he is just so damn cute.

Again, I am completely sorry, but if you would like to see what had taken over my brain for the past well...months...(namely Dr. Who, Sherlock, Star Trek, Avengers) head over to my other works, I guess. Thank you, and enjoy!

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><p>"Arthur, wait."<p>

His want hand stopped in midair before he had the chance to cast the spell.

"What now? I'm a bit preoccupied, you know, trying to grow up within five minutes?" he retorted back. He regretted his words as soon as he said them though, as he noticed alfred's nervouse expression and twisting hands. Arthur quickly softened his tone and ignored his impatience.

"What is it, Alfred?" he asked gently. He lowered his wand. Damn, in this body it was much heavier than he was used to. Alfred shifted from foot to foot.

"Was I...Okay?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I mean when you...when you had your other mind. Was I an okay...um...what's the word..."

"Guardian? Older brother?"

Alfred started at Arthur's bluntness, but nodded. "Yeah...that."

Arthur set his wand down.

"You want the truth?" Now he was the one who was staring at his tiny hands. Why was it so hard to talk about something like this?

"You...Alfred, I've never had a childhood quite like that."

"Is that good or bad?"

"God, Alfred, it was very good!" Arthur's hands flew up into the air. "Bloody hell, I think that's what childhood is supposed to be like, isn't it?"

"That's what you did for me." Alfred sat down in the chair across from him. Arthur colored furiously. This was a turn of events. Arthur wasn't one for talking about anything this deep.

"That I did..." the little Englishman mused. His wand hand landed on the chair beside him, forgotton at the moment. "I did do a good job with you when you were a lad, didn't I?"

"When you were there, anyway."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Alfred regretted them instantly. Arthur's cherubic childish face had fallen from its cynical grin to a look of surprised and guilty remorse. Damn it if he looked even more depressed in kid-form. Alfred spluttered for an apology.

"I-I didn't mean that, Arthur!"

"No, no, you had the right there." Arthur wouldn't even glance at his brother now. ALfred mentally hit himself in the face.

"Arthur, no, really..."

But Arthur was already waving a hand in dismissal, considering the matter completely closed.

"I already know I wasn't exactly the best caretaker in the world. Don't worry about it."

"Artie!"

"And it's alright for you to blame me for it. Now just listen, you bloody idiot, and stop interrupting me, hm?"

THe way his eyebrow lifted and the tilt of his head were so just...entertaining on a small child of short stature that Alfred immediately shut up just to keep from laughing at his expression. It didn't mean that he wasn't going to have a serious talk about this though, later on.

Arthur spoke.

"I...Alfred, I just wanted to thank you for a childhood that I don't know that I deserved."

There he was, fiddling with his hands again...Alfred actually muffled a laugh behind his hand. Arthur looked up sharply, confusion and annoyance radiating from his large eyes.

"Oi! I"m being bloody serious, and all you can do is laugh?" he pouted and crossed his short little arms. "See if I ever try to do this stupid-"

Alfred, still covering his barely surpressed giggles, stood up and swooped his brother into his arms. He embraced him tightly, even though Arthur cursed embaressingly and held on for dear life. Jesus, he still wasn't used to being up so high!

"Alfred F. Jones, put me down right now! This instant!" he cried half-heartedly. Alfred only hugged his small body tighter.

"Alfred!"

"Yeah?"

"I said set me down! And why the bloody hell were you laughing?" Despite his numerous protests, Arthur made no motion of a struggle to get out of his younger brother's grip.

Alfred actually began to rock him back and forth. THe great bloody tosser, didn't he remember that he was an adult inside? BUt, as his face was busy being smushed into Alfred's chest, Arthur couldn't really say a thing.

"Aw, Artie. You really are too adorable when you're like this, you know that?"

"Don't say things like that! I am a British gentlemen! British gentlemen do not thrive on being adorable!"

"Sure. I've been trying to hold in how hilarious you are, and it just sorta slipped out, alright? No harm done, bro!"

Arthur harumphed in his arms.

Alfred stopped swaying him back and forth, and suddenly tensed up imperceptibly. Arthur could feel it in his shoulders though, and almost started when a hand came to rest on his head, slowly combing through his hair.

"You did deserve it, though. You deserved every second of that childhood. After what...what I could make out about your brothers and France, from what you would barely tell me, you never had one. I mean, you barely even would speak to me, you were so freaked out!"

Arthur remained quiet.

"If you're going to use this as blackmail against me..." he murmured in an attempt at humor. He turned his head to rest upon Alfred's shoulder.

"Dude, you know I wouldn't. I just...wanted to do something for you after all that shit you went through early on and never told anyone about it. Is that so wrong?"

"It's...unlike you."

"Well, then maybe I've been changing my ways a bit."

Arthur was silent. The only motion to suggest that he had processed anything his younger brother had said was his little fist tightening around the fabric of Alfred's shirt.

"I thought it was fun, actually, you being a kid."

"Fun?"

"Yeah. I mean, I'm never going to really have colonies of my own, like you did, so it was a nice change of pace. In a way, I mean, I gotta say, being the oldest doesn't suck so much as I thought it did! But I really enjoyed it, taking care of you. And you...You were happy."

Alfred sat down in the chair, his hand gently massaging Arthur's back.

"You were laughing and playing, and just having fun. It was incredible. I've never really seen you like that, and you just seemed to not have a care in the world. For the first time, too, right? You were completely happy."

Arthur had hidden his face in Alfred's shirt. It seemed like some child-like tendancies hadn't exactly gone away yet.

Alfred sighed. He didn't expect Arthur to verbally agree with him or anything. The fist of his brother digging deeper into his shirt was enough of an answer for him.

"I think you deserve at least that, Artie. You deserve it more than anyone."

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><p>Author's Comments:<p>

There are so many reviews... because of my negligence to my writing, I will respond to each privately, since I doubt that any of you reviewers even remember what you wrote! *sweatdrop*

One more chapter. I can do it. It is all planned out, and I will just have to wait on my Avengers fic to finish this one. And Icy Darkness. No, I haven't forgotten that fic either! Once again, I will continue it!

Thank you so much for reading, and if you aren't to upset with me for not posting for pretty much ever, please review...or yell at me...either is fine :I

Thank you again, and next chapter, coming right up!


	13. Chapter 13

Hey there, Fang here.

And now it is done. The final chapter.

Thank you so much for staying with me through this fic! It's been a good ride.

* * *

><p>Alfred held Arthur for what seemed like hours, though it was only a few minutes. Arthur wasn't crying, not at all. He was too much of a British gentleman for that, even as a child. But there were soft tremors that traveled up and down his spine that wouldn't stop as he buried his face into his brother's shoulder. Alfred did nothing but rub his back gently, letting him let go in his own way. Slowly, but surely, the little quivers ceased.<p>

Arthur looked up finally, meeting Alfred's eyes. There was no shame there about his emotional outburst. Hell knows he needed it.

The little Englishman let out a small chuckle. "Who would have known our positions would be reversed, eh? For a little bit, anyways. It's like some sort of weird deja-vu."

Alfred laughed. "Yeah, kinda. I like how it turned out, though."

Arthur wriggled a bit, and Alfred lifted him off his lap and set him down on the ground. As he stretched from sitting for so long, Arthur ran across the room to get the forgotten wand that was laid on the easy chair.

"Did you get those clothes I asked for?" he commented as he was reaching for the magical tool. Alfred smacked his forehead and ran out of the room to get them. Arthur rolled his eyes, but his grin was wide. He picked up the wand and adjusted his grip on it as it almost slipped out of his hands.

A car outside his house roared to life and sped off out of hearing distance. He could only assume that Matthew had gone off somewhere, meaning only he and Alfred were in the house. He prefered it this way; Alfred had a lot of questions still in his eyes that he didn't particularly want to answer with a third party there as well. Not that he wanted to answer them anyway, but after the little ordeal he had been through, it was only logical, and probably about time.

He brandished his wand, and as Alfred walked in with a set of clothes, he was already practicing the correct arm movements and incantations. No way in bloody hell was he going to invite another mishap to happen like that. He'd rather give up tea for a month than that.

Well, maybe not a month. Make it a week.

Alright, two days.

Maybe.

Alfred handed him the clothes, and stepped back out of the firing range so he wouldn't get kid-ified if that was to happen again. Arthur slipped the huge shirt over his tiny frame and removed his old clothing, so that he wouldn't be strangled by cloth when he transformed back.

Alfred glanced at him. "Ready, bro?"

Arthur heaved a sigh. "You have no bloody idea."

And with that, Arthur lifted his wand up.

A shimmering of light descended from the ceiling, circling the small figure who was becoming indistinguishable amidst the glow of magic. Alfred shielded his eyes as that light consumed Arthur, turning everything in the room to white blankness. He gritted his teeth; only Arthur would know if something was going wrong.

From the looks of it, though, it seemed that everything was working smoothly. There were no curses of surprise or upset mumblings from his brother. Alfred could only shut his eyes tight and almost hope that it worked.

Almost.

He wouldn't deny he wouldn't mind if this spell went wrong again and Arthur was stuck as a kid again. He liked that Artie...not that he didn't like the adult Arthur as well, but there was just something about the smiling, bouncing child that pulled his heart.

Arthur was still in his mind, playing in the yard, handing out an unguarded smile like a drop of sunshine. The Arthur that never was, never could be. Only through a single mispoken word of a spell could such a thing be achieved.

He would never forget the past few days.

From behind his closed lids, he could tell that the light was beginning to dissipate. He didn't want to see Arthur as an adult. He might lose the memories of the little one he had grown to absolutely adore.

He heard the tugging of clothes as Arthur dressed quickly, and Alfred knew that the spell had gone perfectly. Slowly, he raised his head and opened his eyes.

Though there was the loss of the child, he still felt glad to see Arthur as he had been. Alfred had also missed the cranky English gentleman a bit too much.

He plowed into the adult Arthur, fully clothed, and knocked him down on the floor in a tight embrace. Arthur swore, but wrapped his arms around his brother as well.

"Good to have you back, Artie."

"Git."

Alfred made no move to get off of him, so Arthur simply sighed and let Alfred get the closure he needed.

"If it makes you feel better, Alfred... I hope you know that I...I consider that my actual childhood now. Even if it only lasted a week."

Alfred only tightened his grip. Arthur felt as if his eyeballs would pop out of their sockets, but it was nothing he couldn't handle.

"My time with Scotland and my brothers when I was actually little... that doesn't matter. So..."

(Gah, why did this have to be so awkward?) he thought to himself. Britishmen were not meant for this type of heartfelt talks. Especially with such a git of a brother.

"Thank you, you great idiot."

God, if said idiot could hug him any tighter, he would be dead before he could enjoy being an adult again.

"I missed you so much, Artie."

Arthur laughed, and tightened his arms. It was good to be back.

* * *

><p>A few weeks later, everything was practically back to normal. Arthur was back at work, having made it in enough time to the meeting with Parliament completely and utterly grown up. Alfred would visit him every once in a while, and Matthew went back to his country with a private smile andgreat blackmailing memories.<p>

He did say practically, right?

Alfred seemed a bit unlike his normal smiling self since Arthur's re-transformation. Sure, he put up a good front, but Arthur could see the slight slump of the shoulders, the shifting eyes when he thought no one was watching, the habitual playing with the ends of his shirt, and especially the staring into nothing. All indicated something was obviously wrong, but Arthur respected Alfred's privacy too much to even think of asking him what was up.

He would make little mentions of whether all was well in his country, and Alfred always responded in the affirmative, never saying much else than that. He would glance at Arthur guiltily, on the edge of saying something, and then would suddenly close his mouth tightly and move onto another topic of no importance whatsoever.

This wasn't like Alfred at all. For the life of him, though, Arthur could not understand what he was so upset about. The fact that his brother would barely speak to him anymore when he came over was testimony to that, and Arthur was getting sick of it. What the hell had Alfred gotten himself into this time?

But the day that Arthur caught him in his bedroom, he was stopped short, and his anger disappeared instantly. Right before, he had told Alfred he was going into the kitchen to make another pot of tea. With that, he had left Alfred in the tearoom. And of course, the git was not there when he returned.

When he went looking for him though, he found Alfred at his closet. Arthur's mouth closed on any angry retort when his eyes zoomed in upon his brother carefully handling his old bear with such tenderness and smiling wistfully. The answer to his melancholy hit him in the head like an anvil. He shut the door upon his room, making sure not to disturb the occupant inside.

A few private calls to his government later, he took up his wand in hand and went down into the basement for preparations.

* * *

><p>A few days later, Alfred received a telephone call from his brother, asking him to take a week off of work and to come visit him during that time. When asked why, Arthur would only say that he wanted to hang out, and then hung up.<p>

Oddly enough, he had no qualms with packing a suitcase and taking the next flight over to Britain. Arthur was probably fed up with Alfred's moodiness, he figured. It's not like he had bothered trying to hide it.

Dammit, he really was happy about having Arthur back to normal, he really was! But at the same time...he missed that grinning, shy little boy who he had gotten to know within only a few days.

Just to see that child-like adoration and trust again, he would do anything. He didn't care if it was a stupid thing to get worked up over. He just didn't.

So, when he arrived at Arthur's door, he was in a worse mood than normal. He was probably going to take it out on his brother as well, even if he tried with all his not-inconsiderable-might not to.

A note was pinned up onto the front door, and Alfred practically ripped it off to read. What he found confused him greatly.

_You have a week, you bloody git. Enjoy it._

Alfred stared at the paper incomprehensibly. A week? For what...?

He finally noticed that the door was slightly open, and he pushed into Arthur's Alfred saw brought tears unbidden to his eyes.

A small, messy-haired blonde in a child-sized jumper and shorts was sitting on the entry-way carpet, looking sadly at an all-too-familiar beat-up stuffed bear.

He looked up at Alfred's entrance, and there was that worshipping little smile on his face, just as he remembered.

The child barely had enough time to yell out his name happily and hold out his tiny arms to be picked up before he was swept up in a tight, loving embrace from a crying American.

* * *

><p>Author's Notes:<p>

It's finally finished. Took forever. (Mostly my fault, I will admit)

Like I said, expect a spin-off series of just random little stories about little Arthur and Alfred, because I am hooked for a while!

Thank you to all who stuck with me through this, since you are all so damn patient and amazing.

Any final reviews are very much appreciated, especially on this chapter and the entire story in general.

Thank you so much, Again!

-Fang


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